Deer Park bans above-ground pools

In a move decried as "petty" and "ridiculous" by some affected residents, Deer Park has banned above-ground pools.

Village officials cite both aesthetic and practical reasons for the ban, saying they don't want septic fields to be inundated when the pools are emptied of their chlorinated water.

While pointing out such a ban was already on the books, Village Administrator Jim Connors conceded its wording might have caused confusion.

Deer Park officials did agree to allow the small numbers of affected homeowners to keep their pools for five more years following residents' complaints.

That was little consolation, though, to residents who feel the village is micromanaging the issue - particularly since they'll be required by the village to truck in the water for their pools and then dispose of the water off-site. Residents of the town are on private wells and officials say filling the pools from them could hurt the water table.

"I'm getting really tired of the village saying, 'OK, you can have this, but we're going to make it really hard for you to have ... what we don't want you to have,'" said Julene Schmeisser, adding that, despite the grace period, she might not bother to set up the pool again because she'd have to spend hundreds of dollars to truck the water in and out.

Her neighbor, Fred Pira, agreed, calling the whole matter "petty and ridiculous."

"We spend a lot of money to have homes here," Pira said. The village has "got to have more important things ... (than to) make life miserable for people."

Village President Scott Gifford said critics are entitled to their opinions, but he noted the village's intention always was to ban above-ground pools and noted those who installed them were in violation in the first place.

"We're just doing what we think is best for the community and property values," Gifford said.