Children ages 15 and younger will need to be accompanied by an adult to enter Pittsburgh’s Highland Park pool this summer, a city spokesperson said Monday.
The rule that kids must be supervised by someone who is at least 21 years old is not in effect at any other city pools, said Maria Montaño, a spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey. There are currently no plans to expand the policy to include other city pools, she said.
“It stems out of concerns over the number of unaccompanied minors at the pool and in the vicinity of the pool that (were) causing some concerns about the guards’ ability to focus,” Montaño said, explaining that lifeguards need to be able to focus primarily on “keeping those in the pool safe.”
Issues at that particular facility, she said, have run the gamut from disorderly behaviors to physical fights.
Montaño could not immediately provide details about how the policy would be enforced or whether one adult could supervise multiple children.
In an effort to further ensure safety at city pools, police will be driving by all city pools hourly, she said, and walking around the facilities to ensure there are no issues. Police also are looking for areas where there may be additional security needs, Montaño said.
The city on June 15 opened 15 pools for the summer season. Three others are closed for repairs.
Last summer, a fatal shooting at Pittsburgh’s Jack Stack pool in Brighton Heights left one person dead and another injured. The pool closed for a week before reopening with tighter security.
Julia Burdelski is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jburdelski@triblive.com.