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Upper Dublin board to advertise lifeguard-waiver ordinance that would allow limited exemptions
Summary
The board agreed to advertise an ordinance creating a waiver process for lifeguard requirements in narrow circumstances, emphasizing it would not create blanket exemptions and would exclude settings where children are present.
A proposed amendment to the township’s pool and lifeguard rules that would create a process to request a waiver was discussed and the board agreed to advertise the ordinance for formal consideration next month.
A commissioner clarified the intent: the provision would permit a business or property owner to seek a waiver from the lifeguard requirement in narrowly defined cases, not provide a blanket exemption. “It is not simply to just remove lifeguard requirements,” the commissioner said, adding the impetus for the change came in part from a closure at a local fitness facility that relied on lifeguard rules.
Board members stressed exemptions would be limited and would exclude any situation involving children. Chair also emphasized the waiver application would include liability assurances and signage requirements and that any granted waiver would be subject to board approval.
What happens next: The board will advertise the ordinance this month and consider it at a subsequent meeting; staff said the proposal will return for formal consideration and possible adoption only after the advertisement and a public-comment period.
Why it matters: The change would allow the board to consider case-by-case alternatives to blanket lifeguard staffing requirements—potentially affecting pools run by fitness centers, clubs and similar entities—while keeping explicit protections where children are present.
