Lexington Athletic Club pool granted exemption to stay open

The Lexington Athletic Club’s pool will be allowed to remain open through the remainder of the year after getting an extension to prevent the club from having to adopt recent rule changes that threatened the pool’s status, according to an announcement from the club.

The club’s pool faced closure later this week due to new legal regulations which require pools with 2,000 square feet or more of water surface area to have lifeguards. The club said in a statement posted on its website that lifeguards were not cost-effective or needed at its facility.

The club had been granted a previous extension to delay the deadline to hire a lifeguard, but that was set to expire Thursday. The pool’s new extension lasts until Jan. 1. The Lexington Athletic Club hopes it’s enough time for the regulations to be updated.

“Currently the regulations really only apply to water parks and beaches and there is not a category for a ‘lap swimming pool’ like ours,” LAC wrote in a statement. “Hopefully this will change between now and the new deadline.”

Lifeguards weren’t required at pools that didn’t allow kids under 17 in the water without an adult under past regulations, and LAC doesn’t permit unaccompanied kids, so it hadn’t previously needed a lifeguard.

Kevin Hall, communications officer for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, previously told the Herald-Leader that the health department had been working with the athletic club on the issue.

LAC estimates it would cost the club nearly $200,000 a year to hire lifeguards, once a supervisor, benefits, substitutes and other expenses were included, according to the statement.

Reporter Karla Ward contributed to this story.