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February 10, 2006
POOL PARTY POOPERS Tecopa Hot Springs not for the disabledHEALING SPRINGS OPEN GAPING WOUNDS FOR SOME TOURISTS
By ROBIN FLINCHUM
But one major improvement of concern to some local users still lingers un-addressed, and is likely to stay that way for some time to come. Upset by the lack of disabled facilities, one pool user expressed her frustration in letters to the Pahrump Valley Times and Inyo Register newspapers, accusing California Land Management of exploitation of the elderly and handicapped. At issue is a small, separate pool that old timers in Tecopa remember being designated specifically for use at no charge by disabled patrons. Now, California Land Management rents the pool to private parties, including couples or families, for $20 per hour. Red Wood, regional manager of the campground, said that the company is, indeed, leasing the pool to private parties and that currently, the park does not offer any handicapped facilities to visitors. "We have nothing to offer anybody that has any kind of disabilities," Wood said, but refuted any charges of illegal activity. "The standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act have changed quite a bit and nothing at Tecopa meets those requirements," Wood said. However, he pointed out, California Land Management does not own the property and ultimate responsibility for compliance rests with Inyo County. Since the pools have not been altered since they were built decades ago, nor has their actual ownership changed hands, the pools are legal as they are, Wood said. The company is not required to provide facilities that come up to current standards unless major construction is planned or the property is sold to a new owner. "There is no change of ownership to trigger bringing these things up to code," Wood said. Nor have there been any changes to the pools themselves other than new paint, new signs, and a new set of user rules. The company does plan, at some point in the future, to make significant changes to the Tecopa pools, Wood said. At that time, any new construction would be required to meet American with Disabilities Act standards. Wood said he couldn't estimate how long disabled patrons would have to wait for facilities they could access. "There is a set of targeted capital improvements in place," he said, but business at the park has been rather slow. "It's not running off at a rampant pace, but things are improving." Meanwhile, Wood said the small, private pool was leased at such a high rate because it had to be drained and cleaned after each use since it has no shower facilities adjacent to it, and not because it was being used for sexual purposes as some visitors claimed. |
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