TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Playing Better Late Than Never

ADVERTISEMENT

By STEPHEN HAMMILL

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 18, 2008

WESTCHASE - Summer camp programs at the Westchase Swim and Tennis Center are under way after a weeklong delay.

"We are resuming a full program schedule," said Westchase Community Association President Ruben Collazo,who cited insurance issues as the culprit.

The camp and tennis programs were supposed to kick off June 9 but were pre-emptively suspended until Monday after the WCA board, during what Collazo called a routine insurance review, found gaps in its coverage for fee-based athletic programs.

For swim teams and fee-based users not part of the summer camps, the wait for use of the facilities has been even longer. It was closed to them May 19, and the WCA informed coaches and organizers they could not be accommodated until the insurance issue was settled. Those affected included the Westchase Dolphins/TBAY swim teams, the Westchase TriGals and the World of Westchase Tennis Academy.

The facility, at 10405 Countryway Blvd., has remained open for individual Westchase residents who wanted to swim or play tennis.

"There was some vague language that excluded athletic participants which could not be explained by the underwriters," Collazo said. "We had to suspend the programs until we got the language clarified.

"We had a couple of quotes, and we worked hard as we could to get things settled quickly," he said, noting that the cost increase will fall within the current liability insurance budget.

He also said the delay had no connection to a recent settlement of a lawsuit over a drowning in the pool.

In May, the WCA reached a confidential settlement with the family of Kiana Appleby, who drowned at the Westchase Swim and Tennis Center's community pool in 2005.

The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the association, its management company and then-swim coach Graig Fischer.
Collazo said the confidential settlement does not entail any special assessment of Westchase homeowners.

Reporter Stephen Hammill can be reached at (813) 865-1523 or shammill@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT