May 8, 2008
Commissioners to Remove Pioche Pool Diving Board

By Dave Maxwell, Staff Writer

After receiving yet another letter informing the County Commissioners they have to remove the diving board at the city pool in Pioche or lose their insurance coverage, Commissioners voted May 5 to take to board out before the pool opens for the summer.

County Manager John Lovelady reported to Commissioners that the Nevada Public Agency Insurance Pool in Carson City stated that the pool had been “determined unsafe by today’s standards….and the fact that the board has been in place for over 30 years without incident does not mean the hazard does not exist….and the liability exposure to the County is substantial….The County will have no defense to allegations of negligence as the County willing and knowingly allowed the hazard to remain in place despite the request of a highly respected consultant and the insurance pool to remove it.”

Lovelady said the County and the Board of County Commissioners would put themselves at high risk of lawsuit if they ignored the requests to remove the diving board and a serious injury were to occur.

Lovelady also said the Insurance Pool, called Pool Pact, has offered a grant to help pay for the removal of the diving board and replace it with a serpentine slide. Although the Commissioners realized they will have to remove the diving board, they did not decide to replace it with something else but may look for safe alternatives.

Grant Administrator Phyllis Robistow said since the pool is outdoors, similar to a home residential pool, updates can be funded with grant money from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act.