An article in a local publication recently sparked concern over whether or not residents should be concerned about people drinking while at the Stapleton pools. “The article made it sound like banning booze could be on the table,” said local drinker and pool-goer Tim Cox. “I certainly enjoy beverages at the pool, and I have never even heard of a negative incident involving alcohol. All of the things I hear about involving alcohol and the Stapleton Pools are positive.”
The specific issues mentioned in the article do not seem to be very alarming. One report is of an individual passing out, and another was of an adult telling a child not to splash them during adult swim. These incidents do not seem to be the types of things that could be the impetus for pool prohibition. “Why are we even talking about this,” asked resident Kathleen Williams. “Maybe we can post signs reminding people to act responsibly, but I think at least 99% of people already understand that.”
When looking into the numbers, those are even less staggering, according to statistician Kevin Mercurio. “The article cites that ‘pool staff members made more than one alcohol-related 911 call,’” said Mercurio. “This is hardly scientific, but when vague numerical assertions are made, one can only assume the number to be one higher than the stated number. In this case, that would be two alcohol-related 911 calls. Then you must look at the total number of pool-goers. There are four Stapleton pools, each open for roughly 100 days. You are talking about literally tens of thousands of people. So, two incidents out of all of the pool visitors last year is hardly a concern purely from a numbers standpoint.”
The Stapleton MCA plans to begin using a better tracking system moving forward. “We are going to integrate an easy to use system where our pool staff can indicate dates, times, and type of incident,” said MCA President Liza Kampstra. “We will also try to indicate any other specifics, and even names of individuals if possible.” Kampstra says until they are able to improve their data points, pool goers can continue to enjoy alcoholic beverages.
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