By Ashley Stewart

Owatonna People’s Press

OWATONNA — The pool at Holiday Inn & Suites of Owatonna was officially closed Monday afternoon by the Minnesota Department of Health following reports of illness after swimming.

The Department of Health confirmed Monday that the pool, Great Serengeti Waterpark, will remain closed until it completes its investigation of the pool.

The closure and inspection follow reports over the weekend that a number of children became sick after swimming in the pool.

Officials with the Owatonna Police Department confirmed Monday that emergency personnel responded to a medical call of about eight to 12 children who were said to have been exposed to high levels of chlorine at the hotel shortly after midnight Sunday to Holiday Inn and provided medical care until Gold Cross Ambulance responders arrived, according to OPD Capt. Eric Rethemeier.

Stacey Albers said a couple children in a 12-person birthday party at the waterpark were among those examined by paramedics Saturday night. Albers reported sore, swollen throats, red itchy and puffy eyes, coughing and vomiting among the children and adults that were allegedly caused by their swimming in the pool.

Maranda Bergren and her husband, Steve, took 10 children to the pool for their son’s golden birthday and alleges similar symptoms after using the pool.

“A few of the boys were coughing and their chests started turning red, so we took some shampoo and conditioner and tried to wash the chlorine off, but when I got back, there were more kids coughing and their eyes were itchy and red,” Steve Bergren said.

He said the children were in the water for about four hours and noticed the symptoms about 8 p.m.

“My wife and I stayed up throughout the night monitoring them, but the coughing and sneezing wasn’t getting better so we decided to leave,” Steve Bergren said.

The Bergrens headed home to Prior Lake about 11 p.m.

Daren Wradislavsky, general manager of Holiday Inn & Suites of Owatonna, said the waterpark closed Sunday.

“We wanted to err on the side of caution,” he said.

Wradislavsky said he called the Department of Health Monday and they are doing an external investigation while the hotel does its own internal investigation, as well.

“We don’t have any answers yet,” he said.

Doug Schultz, a spokesperson with the Department of Health, said the department received a call Monday morning, and the investigation was underway about 11 a.m.

“We’re doing two kinds of tests, including the standard environmental health inspection, which tests the pool chemical and the pool records to determine when it was last tested, and the epidemiological inspection, which looks at who swam in the pool and who became ill,” he said.

Schultz said the results of the inspection will dictate when the pool will reopen.

“It does take time, but we want to find answers as quick as possible,” he said.

Wradislavsky said he doesn’t know when the waterpark will reopen at this time.

InterContinental Hotels Group, owner of the Holiday Inn brand, released a statement Monday afternoon saying that it “holds the safety, comfort and well-being of our guests and employees as our top priority and concern. All IHG branded hotels are required to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations, ordinances and codes where the hotel operates.”

It then stated that the Owatonna Holiday Inn, which is independently owned and operated, is cooperating with the Department of Health on its investigation.