when the ceiling of a swimming pool breaks the status quo

A situation is brewing in Petach Tikva. A local swimming pool has been rebuilt - while formerly it was an outdoor pool and only open in the summer, it has been rebuilt into a complex and is now an indoor pool.

Until now, the pool was open and functioning on Shabbos, though only in the summer because of it being an outdoor pool. Tickets had to be purchased before Shabbos, and the kiosk was not in operation on Shabbos.

Now, with the pool set to reopen as an indoor pool, religious residents are upset about the change in status quo. They are worried that with it now being an indoor pool, it will also be open on Shabbos, in addition to bringing increasing numbers of secular people to the area for their Shabbos entertainment. In addition, they say there will be tznius issues between the pools, despite the separate swimming hours, with multiple pools in the complex and everyone going through the same entrance and passageways, it will not be a modest situation.

I should add, according to Kikar, while the Haredi representatives in City Hall have not spoken up on the issue, the fight is being led by the Dati Leumi representatives.

The mayor claims the situation is as i always was, with the pool open on Shabbos, as per municipal decisions. Mayor Rami Greenberg says when he was in the Opposition and this was decided, at the time he wanted to protest the issue, but local rabbonim instructed him not to so as to be sensitive to the needs and desires of the long-time residents, and that is why the Haredi representatives also did not oppose it.

Will it open or will it be closed? Will the status quo prevail? What is the status quo - an open pool on Shabbos? An open pool in the summer? An outdoor pool but not an indoor pool? So many complex questions!

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