DAPHNE, Ala. — Lifeguards typically seen at the Lake Forest subdivision’s pools will be replaced by a coded entry system. The Lake Forest Property Owners Association decided on the measure during a recent board meeting.

Gene Ponder, Lake Forest board member responsible for membership and recreation, said the decision will cut costs and make the pools more accessible to residents. The system’s installation will collectively save residents $22,000 a year he said; the change will also reduce the liability insurance costs for the pools.

“Alabama law basically says that you are more liable with lifeguards on duty than you are without lifeguards on duty,” Ponder said.

When the pools at Lake Forest open next month signs will be posted at the pools informing swimmers to enter at their own risk. “Just like every other residential community,” Ponder said. “We are one of the last communities that held onto lifeguards.”

Mary Ann Hampton, board president, said the decision wasn’t all about the money.

“Looking at the numbers, we save money this way. We didn’t do it just to save money; we did it to make the pools more accessible to the residents,” she said.

Complaints about the previous system prompted the action, Hampton said, adding there was no solution available until recently.

Many of the complaints involved the hours the pool was open, she said. There were instances when residents would go to the pool during open hours, but the pool was not actually open because no one had opened it. The check card will allow residents access to the pools at any time during the hours the pool is supposed to be open without relying on staff to unlock the gates.

In previous years, the availability of the pools was limited to the hours the lifeguards were available to work.

 Rob Wright, general manager for Vision Golf and Management, said the lifeguards typically employed by Lake Forest were high-school students, so the hours were limited to hours when the lifeguards were not in school. The limited availability also meant the pools couldn’t open until summer vacation started and the pools had to close when school went back into session.

In previous years, the pools were open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and each pool was closed one day for cleaning. The check-card system will allow the pools to be open more than eight hours each day since the opening of the pool will not be dependent on lifeguards. 

Ponder said the board had tossed around potential solutions for the three pools; its membership arrived at the decision after new board members were inducted in November and Florida-based Vision took over operations, ending the subdivision’s 40-year era of self-management.

“One of the first things we considered was, how do we allow our residents more access to our amenities, and that was an issue that had been brought up before with no resolution. We acted and we passed the resolution to get rid of lifeguards and go with a check-card system similar to TimberCreek,” Ponder said.

Even though lifeguards will no longer be on duty, Wright believes the pools will still be safe.

“It should be even more safe because of the fact that the rules will be that no one under the age of 16 can be at the pool without an adult,” Wright said. “Safety was a major consideration in making the decision.”

Ponder said the transition should be smooth, but also be cheaper on the residents.

“Before, we used to charge residents $90 a month to use the pools, but now the pools are free of charge. (Residents) will go to the central office at the 19th Hole and pick up their cards, pay a $5 card fee and they will have access to the pools.”

Wright said the check-card system will be installed mid-March and he hopes to have the pools open sometime in April.

Ponder and Hampton said they hope the decision to remove lifeguards will have a positive impact.

“We have hashed and rehashed this. This wasn’t a knee-jerk decision; the reality was we were spending so much money on the pools,” Hampton said.

Wright said the decision will allow the 3,100 property owners to have access to the pools earlier and later in the year with additional hours daily.