A popular Seminole County pool reached a deal Monday allowing it to stay open in the wake of a lawsuit filed after a child died.
Thousands of people have used the pool at Lake Brantley High School for anything from infant swim lessons to competitive swimming.
Susan Blando said her daughters and thousands of other kids in Seminole County consider Patriot Aquatics a part of their family.
"Our kids adore them and if they didn't have them every day, I don't know that they would get through school as well because that's what they look forward to," Blando said.
So when kids and parents heard the swim program could be shutting down, their hearts sank.
"People calling, people emailing, everyone was in an uproar, my kids were crying," Blando said.
It came down to a lawsuit filed by the parents of Ian Freeman. The 5-year-old died after he fell from a dive platform at the pool last year. After reaching a settlement with the family, Lake Brantley's booster club, which managed the pool outside of school hours, was unable to renew its insurance. That put the future of the community programs here in jeopardy.
Pool manager Clay Parnell fought back tears talking about Freeman's death.
Eyewitness News met with him minutes after he reached an agreement that will allow the pool to remain open for programs carrying their own coverage, meaning the programs he's run here for more than 20 years will continue.
"You're talking about thousands of people from this community who've come to know this facility as their community pool and luckily we'll be able to keep it that way," Parnell said.
Thousands of people have used the pool at Lake Brantley High School for anything from infant swim lessons to competitive swimming.
Susan Blando said her daughters and thousands of other kids in Seminole County consider Patriot Aquatics a part of their family.
"Our kids adore them and if they didn't have them every day, I don't know that they would get through school as well because that's what they look forward to," Blando said.
So when kids and parents heard the swim program could be shutting down, their hearts sank.
"People calling, people emailing, everyone was in an uproar, my kids were crying," Blando said.
It came down to a lawsuit filed by the parents of Ian Freeman. The 5-year-old died after he fell from a dive platform at the pool last year. After reaching a settlement with the family, Lake Brantley's booster club, which managed the pool outside of school hours, was unable to renew its insurance. That put the future of the community programs here in jeopardy.
Pool manager Clay Parnell fought back tears talking about Freeman's death.
Eyewitness News met with him minutes after he reached an agreement that will allow the pool to remain open for programs carrying their own coverage, meaning the programs he's run here for more than 20 years will continue.
"You're talking about thousands of people from this community who've come to know this facility as their community pool and luckily we'll be able to keep it that way," Parnell said.
WFTV
