Park District: Roosevelt Pool Reopens
Following Friday’s tragic drowning death of 4-year-old Vicente Cardenas in Glenview, Roosevelt Pool reopened Monday at noon. Park District officials have announced that until further notice, all camps are suspended from pool use.
Photos
More: Patch’s complete coverage of Vicente Cardenas' drowning
Updated June 19, 3:35 p.m.
Following the tragic drowning of Vicente Cardenas, 4, at Glenview's Roosevelt pool Friday, Park District officials have announced that until further notice, all camps are suspended from using either Roosevelt or Flick Pools during public swim hours.
Cardenas was on a camp trip with Glenview-based Wesley Child Care.
Stay tuned to Patch Wednesday to learn what policy and operational changes the Glenview Park District has in store following Vicente's death.
Original story
As public safety officials continue to investigate the death of 4-year-old Vicente Cardenas, the Glenview Park District will reopen the pool where the drowning incident occurred Friday, according to a special alert e-mail sent Sunday night.
After pulling Cardenas from the water at Roosevelt Pool, lifeguards administered CPR to the unresponsive boy before paramedics transported him to Glenbrook Hospital. Cardenas passed away just before 4 p.m. Friday afternoon.
The victim was one of 19 children on a trip to Roosevelt Pool with Glenview-based Wesley Child Care Center.
The Glenview Park District shared the following with the Glenview community:
The Glenview Park district would like to update the community on the recent tragedy involving a drowning at Roosevelt pool on Friday, June 15th. District officials have been working with the Glenview Police and Fire Departments in continuing the investigation around this tragedy.
After a full debriefing of Roosevelt Pool staff and an extensive in-service training held earlier today, it has been determined that our lifeguard, management and customer service staff are ready to resume their duties. Roosevelt pool will reopen on Monday, June 18th at 12:00 noon.
The pool will operate on a slightly shortened schedule, closing at 6:00 pm. Please contact the pool hotline at 847-724-3337 for further updates on hours.
Flick Pool is currently operating on its normal schedule and will continue to do so, as will Splash Landings.
While district officials continue to review operational procedures, camps will not be attending the pools during public session for the week of June 18th. Once the evaluation is complete the district will determine whether any operational modifications are necessary.
For more information or if you have questions, please contact Chuck Balling, Executive Director at 847-657-3215.
sammy
8:02 am on Monday, June 18, 2012
that camp has at least 100 campers not only 19
Bubbles
1:41 pm on Monday, June 18, 2012
There are 2 separate Wesley camps. One just for preschoolers (hence the 19 in the article) and then a separate camp at a separate facility for school age children.
Mom of Twins
9:34 am on Monday, June 18, 2012
There were only 19 in the preschool group - obviously the camp has more than 19 kids.
Mom
10:51 am on Monday, June 18, 2012
This pool is not safe for camps. Simple as that. The deep end is marked by a mere line. There is nothing wrong with the pool, but it's not one for campers or young kids. Don't allow camps to go to that one. I don't know why any parent would be OK with that, let alone a daycare.
Mom
11:53 am on Monday, June 18, 2012
I am horribly saddened by what happened. I pray for his family as it is a horrible tragedy to lose your child especially so early in his life. I wonder why he wasn't wearing a vest and if that was a mandatory requirement. As another post commented he could have been walking back from the snack area that is so poorly located by the deep end. I hope changes are made across the board- from the day care to the pool and the park district.
Mom
1:40 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
I have been told by the Park District that vests are NOT a requirement for campers that do not attend on a "regular" basis. The park district spokeswoman stated that they do not have the time to test all campers before attending a swimming event. I was also told that they "suggest" a swim vest for young children and non-swimmers. My childs camp does not require vests on the small children because they feel it may make the child or supervisors lax in paying attention to their saftey??? I am hesitant to agree and will not permit my child to swim without a vest/parent present at this stage. I would like to see the statistics on saftey stating that the wearing of a vest may contribute to an increase in drowning deaths. I was told by my childs camp that there is also an issue with the proper fit of a life vest. How hard is it to obtain the proper fit of these vests? Clear posting and information must be given to all camps and parents please! The STATE requirement for capacity is 1400 for this pool, I was informed that the pool was not even at HALF capacity that day. I was there with my son and his father the day Vicente passed away and the very first thing we noticed was how crowded the pool and surrounding deck area were. This is a terrible tragedy and lessons learned from this will be invaluable in saving other lives in the future. Our minds should focus on how to make things safer for all and to do them in Vicente's honor and name.
A parent
1:52 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
To me if he was walking back from the snack area ALONE, that's even worse. A four year old with "seven or eight" caretakers left to walk alone from the snack area? Cameras would clearly show what happened - Glenview, why is there no camera???
janet
11:54 am on Monday, June 18, 2012
It should be a pool's mandatory rule that children under 7 should wear a life jacket from the moment they enter the pool premises until they leave. It should be given and taken away at the entrance. We are all humans and we all know how much of a responsibility is dealing with children. Things can get out of control in a second. I think this measurement might give everybody some peace of mind and avoid more tragic cases like this one. My heart goes out to the parents, relatives, and people present that awful day :_(.
Mom
1:44 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Please read my comment above, the swim vest issue must be addressed and decided upon across the board. I hope parents, educators, park district employees and states will decide upon some type of reform. We need more voices and we need to listen to each other in deciding the best way to move forward.
Katherine
10:08 am on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
While it is a tragedy. It was still an accident. It is not fair to make other children who are good swimmers wear a life vest. We can't overprotect our children either. If a child is not a good swimmer, then don't send them to camp that day and take him/ her yourself another day when you know that you can watch them better.
Also mother of twins
1:36 pm on Monday, June 18, 2012
Totally unavoidable tragedy. That child died under the watch of a care taker that was negligent. How can someone not be able to take proper care of TWO children put under her watch [19 kids to 8 care takers= 2 kids per teacher]. It is simple. Someone was not doing their job.
Mom
1:48 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
We do need to hear from/about the person in charge of Vicente's care that aternoon. Was there a legitimate reason that they were unable to properly watch the children in their charge or do they accept responsibily for not paying attention? Is two or three children too many to watch in a swimming enviornment or not? If you consider the entire situation we may find fault at every turn. I am sure the person given the responsibily of caring for Vicente feels remorse only few of us can imagine. How do we repair this situation to the best of all our abilities?
Mom
3:34 pm on Monday, June 18, 2012
You mean avoidable, yes. No excuse.
MOM
8:17 pm on Monday, June 18, 2012
SO SAD FOR THE FAMILY, BUT ALSO FOR EVERYONE THAT WAS INVOLVED. THEIR LIVES HAVE CHANGED FOREVER, NO ONE SHOULD CAST BLAME WE HAVE ALL BEEN IN SITUATIONS WHERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD SOMETHING COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO OUR KIDS OR KIDS WE WERE IN CHARGE OF. IT ONLY TAKES A SECOND OR TWO FOR A TRAGEDY TO HAPPEN
Val Gurvits
12:05 am on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Hello,
My name is Val Gurvits. I am Vicente’s uncle and am the family’s spokesman.
First, the family would like to express our gratitude for all the warm words of sympathy during this tragedy. As you would imagine, the family is devastated.
Also, I would like to hear from people who were at the pool that day. We have received surprisingly (and disappointingly) little information from the school regarding the events that lead up to Vicente’s death. We have heard that the pool was overcrowded, but are still trying to piece together what happened. If you were there, please call me at 617-928-1804 or email me at vgurvits@bostonlawgroup.com.
Mom
1:51 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
I have left a voice mail for you Mr. Gurvits.
AnotherGlenviewMom
2:35 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Please please please do not jump on the caregivers and the lifeguards who were there that day. This is a tragedy that is beyond sad, more than any parent or caregiver should have to go through. Having had my children through both the preschool at Wesley and the school age camp, I know that I never felt unsafe with my children in their hands. In fact I would say that they treated my children as their own - and even when gone keep contact to see how they are doing. This is a family, and one that is grieving as well, since I can assure you they loved that child more than anyone can imagine. I have been to the pool when my children were there - they are in the pool with the kids and have constant contact with them. None of us know what happened, how it happened, and to speculate and blame this early in the process only produces emotions that are not necessary. This entire community is mourning - I cannot imagine how horrible this loss is to this family, and it is important to support them, and the daycare, and Roosevelt during this time. Let the authorities and the family address the why/how this event happened. Let the rest of us be supportive to our community.
Val Gurvits
3:27 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Respectfully, if the caregivers were doing their job, this tragedy would not have happened. It is unfathomable that in a dangerous environment like a deep public swimming pool, the caregivers didn’t have their eyes on a 4-year old child at all times.
Joanna Schneider
3:44 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
A quick update: Following Vicente's tragic drowning at Glenview's Roosevelt pool Friday, Park District officials have announced that until further notice, all camps are suspended from using either Roosevelt or Flick Pools during public swim hours.
Mom
11:39 am on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Great idea! I noticed a spot on the news yesterday showing a lifeguard clearly visible wading in the water watching the children, sadly there were no lifeguards in the pools on the day Vicente passes away. To the mother who doesnt feel it is fair to make children who are "good swimmers" wear vests. Even a "good swimmer" can drown, as you said "accidents happen". Minimizing as many risks as possible is everyones responsibilty, we can and usually do all play a part in caring for one another. Please consider posting comments on solutions, maybe you can volunteer to help with swimming lessons or as an extra pair of eyes at your neighborhood camp?
A parent
7:45 am on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
How this happened is simple: the day care workers (all "seven or eight" of them) were not watching Vincente. They were not doing their job. They are responsible.
Why doesn't the pool have security cameras? Oh that's an easy one. No video witness to negligent homicides.
RobynB
8:26 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
To A Parent: Regarding the video cameras, the pool is only open from essentially Memorial Day to Labor Day that is a huge expense for 3 months of pool activity to install and monitor security cameras. Also the cameras are not going to be manually controlled all they will do is give a broad overview of the pool area. Not to mention I don't need all my daily activities monitored by the government.
I don't think we need to spend unnecessary money on video cameras, instead parents and caregivers need to watch their children. I think your comment regarding negligent homicide is highly inflammatory and unwarranted. I live near the pool and go there often, the lifeguards are always on the lookout but they are not babysitters this terrible tragedy unfortunately brought this point home.
arlene philbin
1:05 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
I agree with RobynB. The lifeguards are doing their jobs, monitoring the children in the pool. I've seen them. This could have happened within seconds of a guard scanning from one direction to another; perhaps, he/she was fixed on another child at the time. Where were the day care center caregivers who were supposed to be watching the group they brought? It is a BIG responsibility taking care of children, especially at a swimming pool. If children cannot swim, they should be wearing a lifesaving vest or be on the hand of a caregiver or the caregiver should be standing either in the pool or at the edge and watching the child. Arlene (a mom and a grandmother) who continually watched!
annie
12:36 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
I am as sorry as anyone else that a little boy drowned at Roosevelt. But, accidents do happen. Blame game? The people who were watching the camp group, are suffering too. We all need to support his family, the caregivers, and the pool staff.
All are devastated.
As far as being judgmental? You don't know when a tragedy could happen to you or someone you love.
Mama
12:07 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
I totally agree with Val Val Gurvits. I think it is totally major fault of caregivers. The idea of open swim was driving me nuts. I was about to tell them on Thursday to leave my kid in school. But instead I learned about this tragedy. Vicente will be always in our hearts. He was a good, funny, handsom boy and we will remember him that way. He was a good friend to my kid.
Glenview parent
9:49 am on Monday, June 25, 2012
The family trusted Wesley to take a good care of their child and they failed.They could've take the kids to Flic pool (where is number of pools like baby gated pool,or only 4f deep and is only maybe a mile away).Or how about putting a life vest on the kids that are available at pool site.With only 2-3 campers to watch that kind of tragedy should've never happen.