Q: A swim meet at the Mankato municipal pool in July, hosted by the Mantas Swim Club, didn’t end exceptionally well. As we understand, it was scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But the meet was canceled late Saturday when a patron brought in a glass container, it was dropped and broke on the pool deck and possibly in the pool. I am guessing guidelines were followed and it wasn’t feasible to continue.
A few questions …. Don’t tread water on this topic! Give us the skinny (not dipping).
A: The reader had more than a few questions, which will be addressed individually below.
But the gist of it is that the young swimmers hoping to break records and break personal bests at the Minnesota Regional Championships were left broken-hearted by a shattered coffee cup which forced the final day of competition to be entirely canceled. But the July 20 incident didn’t break the city’s pool budget.
To be precise, the careless act occurred early on Sunday morning — not late Saturday — which makes more sense considering the culprit was someone so desperate for a hit of caffeine that they would sneak a glass cup of java into a swimming facility.
Not only did the person drop the cup, he or she dropped it in the worst possible spot. Had it landed on the water, it might not have broken. Had it shattered on the pool deck far from the pool, it could have been swept up without endangering the swimmers.
But the cup broke into countless pieces right on the edge of the lap pool where the competition was to take place starting at 8 a.m.
“YMCA staff cleaned up the visible glass on the deck but could not confirm if glass had entered the pool,” said Paul David, communications director for the city of Mankato.
The Tourtellotte Pool is owned by the city, which contracts with the Mankato Family YMCA for pool management, lifeguards and other operational matters. Y officials contacted city staff about the broken glass, seeking direction on what to do.
“City staff determined that the only way to ensure that no glass had entered the pool was to fully drain, sweep and vacuum the pool and gutters,” David said.
That’s a time-consuming process. So the swimmers, who ranged from age 8 to teenagers and had arrived for 7:30 a.m. warmups, were sent home. Nearly 60 races were planned for that Sunday, which was the finale of the three-day event.
“The meet was canceled. Staff immediately began draining the pool to clean, and glass was found in the pool,” he said. “The water was refilled overnight, and the Tourtellotte Pool was chemically balanced and ready to reopen for ‘open swim’ on Monday, July 21, at 1:15 p.m. as scheduled.”
Here are the other questions asked by the reader, along with David’s responses.
Q: Does the YMCA, as the operator, check bags/towels/etc. for glass containers?
A: “On a regular day when the pool is open to the public, YMCA staff checks all large pool bags, coolers, strollers, etc.,” David said. “Spectator entrance at the Manta event is handled differently because the facility is rented specifically for a competition.”
However, common sense and a sign at the facility — similar to signs habitually posted at public and hotel pools across Minnesota —probably should have been enough to prompt the coffee-guzzling spectator to voluntarily switch to a paper cup.
“City signage does indicate that no glass is allowed in the facility, which is consistent with Minnesota Department of Health language which officially states, ‘Glassware and similar material with a tendency to shatter on impact is not allowed in the pool enclosure area,’” David said.
Q: Who misses out on any revenue from spectator fees, concessions, etc.?
A: The Mantas pay the city for exclusive use of the pool when holding meets and keep the fees paid by the participating swimmers from around Minnesota.
The contract between the city and the Mantas requires the team to pay $1,000 per day for swim meets, which aims to offset staffing costs and the lost public access to the pool. The city also charges $50 for each set of bleachers the team requests for spectator seating at a meet.
“They do not get reimbursed (for the canceled day),” David said.
Concessions at the Tourtellotte Pool are generally managed by the Y, which keeps any profit when revenue exceeds the cost of purchasing the food, beverages and other items sold. But for swim meets, the team manages its own concessions, so the Mantas lost out on any revenue from that ill-fated Sunday.
Q: The pool was largely drained to eliminate any doubt the pool was free of any glass particles. Who pays the overnight and next day draining, refilling, reheating and restart labor for this pool incident?
A: David indicated the Mantas were charged for the costs of dealing with the broken coffee-cup mess, making reference to a provision in the contract that states: “If the Facility requires an extraordinary amount of maintenance because of the acts or omissions of or on behalf of Team or its Personnel, then Team may be responsible for reimbursement of said damage costs.”
He did not provide details on the charge levied against the Mantas for the expense of replacing the pool’s water and associated chemicals.
“The costs are not absorbed by the city,” he said.
Q: Was the outside individual responsible for this mess held to any monetary reimbursement?
A: “Any attempt to hold the individual or outside organization responsible would be between Mantas and the identified party,” David said.
Contact Ask Us at The Free Press, 418 S. Second St., Mankato, MN 56001. Call Mark Fischenich at 344-6321 or email your question to mfischenich@mankatofreepress.com; put Ask Us in the subject line.