Pinckneyville now requiring fences around in-ground pools

The Pinckneyville City Council approved a host of new zoning changes at its meeting Monday.
The council approved an ordinance amending the city's special use permit. Rather than a permit being good for eight years, it now will be a permanent permit, provided the owner of the permit adheres to the terms of the permit. If at any time the owner of the permit fails to comply, they have the option to get into compliance or the permit will be terminated.
Other items addressed include listing the residential district permitted uses, residential district special uses, residential district permitted uses and residential district special uses.
In addition to the residential district special uses, the ordinance includes non-urban district permitted uses.
Also in the amended ordinance is a clause wherein a person erecting a fence shall make an application to the zoning committee that includes the statements that the fence is being erected on their property and that the boundaries of their property has been determined by a written agreement with the adjoining property owners.
This section leads to the section regarding swimming pools in the city limits. While there hasn't been a rule regarding swimming pools in the past, this ordinance provides that an in-ground swimming pool must be surrounded by a 4-foot fence and requires a zoning certificate to put in an in-ground pool.
A private swimming pool cannot be built in a front yard of a residence. An aboveground pool that has walls of 48 inches high does not require fencing, but does require the access to the pool be removed or have a lockable gate at the access point when the pool is unattended. The final point of this ordinance is that it specifies that new mobile homes have to be in compliance with the National Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974.
In other business, City Treasurer Rick Reese informed the council that the unrestricted bank balance as of April 30 is up by almost $60,000.
The annual Memorial Day celebration will be at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery on Fairground Road at 9 a.m. Monday, May 27.
Also on Memorial Day, on the former Noward's Garage parking lot on the corner of St. Louis and Walnut streets, there will be a black lung clinic beginning at 8 a.m.