Just when locals in Needham, Mass., didn’t think the July heatwave could get any worse, Rosemary Pool kicked it up a notch — literally.
On July 14, a guest at the lap pool in the Rosemary Recreation Complex dropped a jar of salsa, which shattered near the edge and caused shards of glass to land in the water. The news was shared in a Facebook post by the Needham Parks and Recreation Department: “Today’s incident was avoidable and unfortunate.”
The mistake forced the 220,000-gallon pool to be drained, which was only one part of the extensive clean-up process. Power-washing, vacuuming, refilling, rebalancing and retesting for bacteria were all steps to be taken before the pool could reopen.
And the bill? A hefty $20K, all for the misjudgment of a pool guest and their jar of salsa.
This sparked a flurry of heated comments from pool goers nearby, expressing frustration with the incident. One notable response to the situation came from Massachusetts State Senator Becca Rausch:
“The entire community suffers both the loss of our pool and in the purse all because one person decided to bring a jar of salsa to the pool,” she shared in a Facebook post that has since been deleted. “Please do not bring glass to the pool. It’s not hard to follow this and the other rules. They exist for our collective enjoyment and personal health and safety.”
The closure of a popular pool is always a tough pill to swallow, perhaps even more during a heatwave. Both Needham and the surrounding areas reached temperatures up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the days of the pool closures, a sweltering difference than in previous years.
But amid the impassioned opinions from pool regulars, the Needham Department of Public Works assisted in the clean-up, allowing the pool to reopen just four days later on July 18. Needham officials warned against bringing glass containers to the pool in the future, reiterating their existing rule and urging pool goers to think of everyone’s safety.
We can only hope that salsa stays far away from the water's edge from now on.
