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Wow!! A large garden BBQ style table with bench seats has magically appeared inside the pool area. The pool is immediately adjacent to peoples’ homes, and presents its own challenges.
I don’t recall this ever appearing in any reports or minutes and wonder how it got there. The BBQ is not far away, and apart from attracting more people to have their lunch/dinner event at the Pool, it seems to invite guests from the nearby BBQ to migrate inside the Pool area. Perhaps its a well intentioned effort to ensure those parents are at least in the area when their kids are there? But…..this has the look of a Christmas pool party to me.
Its awful to sound like or be the fun police, but its right under peoples’ balconies, living rooms etc in an environment that echoes and amplifies all sounds. Surely, its entirely foreseeable that this will cause problems rather than solving them. Doesn’t something like this have to be discussed at least with the relevant strata committee before its installed? Am I being too sensitive or just alert?
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Setting aside noise etc., a resident cannot place items on the common property without approval of the OC. Whose table and seats are they?
Perhaps a generous and well-meaning resident has donated them to the OC to enhance the comfort and usefulness of the existing community facilities, the BBQ and pool.
I have been known to just wear the time and/or minor monetary cost of doing things to improve our community facilities. Sometimes it is just easier. I am careful to not do anything too substantial or irreversible and I believe I am reasonably aware of what might be overstepping the mark.
Did your pool area contain seating prior to the ‘magical’ appearance of the table and chairs?
As SH has mentioned it is a good idea to have seating in the pool area as it encourages adult supervision of children in the pool area.
Why don’t you wait and see if problems arise? Sometimes we anticipate a problem that never (or rarely) actually eventuates.
A prudent OC should already have By-laws in place for pool usage. If not then I suggest that a By-law be created to deal with usage of the pool area for eating and drinking, and any possible disturbances?
A big ‘no no’ in any pool areas in glassware. I would definitely suggest that no glass ware be permitted within the pool boundary fence e.g. glass bottles, wine glasses, drinking glasses etc. Also, provide a bin adjacent to the table for food scraps and paper napkins etc. No radio, CD, music etc in the pool area could also be a good idea if the pool is located close to residential premises.
Perhaps the Committee approved the pool furniture and forgot to include it in the Minutes? This type of installation would hardly warrant all individual owners having a vote at a general meeting.
Sensible advice from LP. I recall discussions with a playground designer. He commented that some important safety features are subtle things that are not set out in any standard. In particular, he said comfortable seating for adults encourages supervision by the responsible adults or just improves the odds that there will be any adult on hand if a child needs help, which improves safety.
As a Swimming Pool Certifier, I can tell you that a dining table and chairs is not legally allowed within the pool area.
It is not ancillary to the use of the pool. Dining facilities encourage adults to be distracted from their duty to supervise children in the pool area.
The Owners Corporation needs to consider it’s safety obligations before it gets involved in social preferences.
I can understand the reasoning behind Gus’s comment however the biggest distraction in supervision of children is the mobile phone. These are not banned in pool areas.
There are certain structures that are not permissible within a pool area. However, a movable table and chairs are not structures. Structures are permanent and fixed in place.
Chairs and tables are furniture – they are not structures.
A person supervising children may wish to sit at table and chair rather than on a sun lounge. There are no restrictions on where or how people are permitted to sit. Restrictions such as this would probably be a step too far.
“The following structures are not allowed in the enclosed pool area and are to be located and accessed outside the swimming pool enclosure:
Any residential building,
Any WC, shower room, change room, laundry or clothes line,
Any structure with cooking and food storage facilities,
Enclosed gazebos, cabanas and pool houses,
Boat sheds and garages and sheds not associated with the
swimming pool.”The Swimming Pool Act does not ban furniture within a pool area. All of the Council Fact Sheets that I have seen do not ban furniture within a pool area.
According to one local council, the purpose of taking these measures reduces the frequency of entering/ leaving the pool.
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