OTTUMWA —
Reports of snakes at The Beach Ottumwa indoor pool continue, though city staff still insist no snakes have been found.
Skeet McClure, of Agency, was at The Beach Ottumwa Sunday afternoon for his grandson’s birthday party when he said the boy picked up a snake from the small indoor pool and put it in a cup.
“It was about 6-8 inches long,” McClure said. “It looked just like a garter snake. But it sure wasn’t wires in the bottom of the pool.”
On Wednesday, Parks Director Gene Rathje said pieces of metal in gutters could look like snakes to someone looking in the pool.
One citizen, who asked not to be identified, said her concern wasn’t with snakes, but with the city telling the truth.
City staff insist they have not seen any snakes.
“Staff and I haven’t seen any snakes,” Rathje said. “It’s a possibility the swim team could have, but we have not seen anything.”
The Beach was built in a low-lying area adjacent to the Des Moines River and a pond, Rathje said, “so it’s not impossible, but there aren’t any here now.
“We’ve looked everywhere and we haven’t seen anything,” he said.
Right now, the city is making sure there is no problem, said City Administrator Joe Helfenberger, so that if there is one in the future, they’re prepared.
“We’re still going to check all the avenues here and make sure there isn’t a problem,” he said.
Animal control officer Jeff Williams also said he did not see any snakes after he was called to inspect the pool Tuesday morning.
“If they’re blowing lines outside, it’s possible a snake could have got in there,” he said.
But if a snake was to be found, it wouldn’t be a big deal, Williams said.
“Snakes in this weather want to go where it’s warm and humid,” he said. “I haven’t had calls for this in the past. It’s hard telling if it was a snake. We just don’t know.”
Local News
October 19, 2012
Citizens, city staff differ on snakes in pool
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