The dog days of summer send children running to the swimming pools where the hours fly by and the sun sets too soon.

No child should be denied this summer fun, and every town should have a public pool.

For the last few weeks Ferriday children have had their Marco. It’s the Polo we are all missing.

The battle over the Ferriday pool seems to have a side of the story lurking just under the surface of the waters. And it’s a side that must be politically driven.

The pool closed nearly two years ago due health concerns and disrepair. Recently, Mayor Gene Allen made it his cause to see the pool reopened.

And it’s a worthy cause. As Allen and Police Chief Richard Madison have said — kids who swim go home tired, and they don’t get into trouble.

Allen has pressed the issue of the pool at nearly every council meeting for months. He gathered a team of volunteers, and he got some of the problems fixed.

The pool opened. Yet, the recreation district charged with overseeing the pool cried foul, saying the waters were unsafe in which to swim.

That’s a scary thought.

Dozens of innocent children don’t need to be floating around in potentially bacteria-filled water. The recreation district wants a full inspection of the pool, though no state office handles such matters.

Allen says the water is safe.

But how should the children of Ferriday and their parents know who is right? Is it safe or is it not?

It’s obvious politics are at play, but we aren’t sure which side is the politically motivated one. Regardless, the politics need to end and the well being of the children must come first.

The children have cried “Marco.” Who will answer “Polo?”