Local Community Pool Plagued by Vandalism

A few innocent pranks are the norm each year for Somerset-Olde Creek Pool (SOC) in Fairfax. 

However, staff members recently said, the level to which the pranks have been rising in the past year or two is getting scary.

This year in particular, they told Patch - they've simply gone too far.

A little over a week ago, on Sunday, July 7, SOC Pool was vandalized, and this time, the perpetrators caused considerable damage.

Tony Crego, SOC's current president, said several staff members are seriously concerned that Sunday's incident won't be the last, or the worst.

"Overall, I would say we normally have a few - like two or three - 'minor' pranks each summer that are typically an inconvenience for the guards," Crego said. "Examples of this could include chairs or other small objects thrown in the pool or pool furniture and equipment disturbed in some way."

"However, last year and this year, the incidents have been more substantial and the Board and I have been concerned that this is a growing trend of vandalism, and a lack of respect for the community and private property."

On Sunday, July 7, Crego said vandals broke into SOC Pool, ripped at least 20 shingles off the roof of the guard shack, and completely removed a roof vent, exposing the attic to the open air, which could have caused serious damage if it had rained.

The vandals also completely disassembled the pool basketball hoop, and threw that along with several heavy, metal pool chairs and even an entire picnic table into the deep end of the pool.

Crego said, SOC had recently had its entire pool replaced - a cost of around $50,000. He said, they are still examining the extent of the damage caused to the bottom of the new pool by the heavy metal furniture.

They also had to pay to have the roof repaired, which was expensive and quite a scramble to get done before the next rain.

All of this was discovered early the next morning, just as several local parents were dropping their kids off for Monday morning swim team practice.

"Fortunately, several of the parents...helped the guards clean up and remove the equipment from the pool," Crego told Patch.

All in all, paying to replace stolen items and repair increasingly bad damage to property, equipment and furniture by these "pranks" is putting pressure on SOC Pool's tight budget, Crego said. He added, the last thing the staff and Board wants to do is have to pass those costs along to SOC Pool's loyal families in the form of raised membership dues.

"Our pool and swim team are funded by membership dues, donations, and sponsorships, and we try our best to provide a fun community experience on a very tight budget," he said. "Repair costs due to vandalism, or security system costs to deter vandalism, will mean higher membership fees or fewer upgrades at a given membership rate."

He continued, "All of our board members and swim team representatives are volunteers, and we manage the pool ourselves. Community members often donate equipment or volunteer time to help clean up the pool and conduct minor maintenance items and upgrades."

"In short, there is a lot of heart put into our pool community, and I find it very frustrating that a few irresponsible individuals can put all of this sacrifice at risk by not respecting the dedication and effort of their neighbors."

Crego said, the police were called when last week's vandalism was discovered, and officers told them they would file a report over the phone with SOC Pool's manager, but there is no word yet on any leads.

He added, with more than 100 community pools just like SOC in the region, he knows SOC is not the only one having such problems with thefts and vandalism.

What do you think of this growing problem? Have you heard of other local pools having a similar problem? What, if anything, do you think the community can do to help? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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