Hoots of laughter and splashing erupt from the jewel-like pool as another Summit Seals swim team practice gets under way Friday.

But beneath the tranquil suburban setting lurks threats of restraining orders and lawsuits, videotaping by private investigators, menacing parents and an ugly allegation of child molestation.

At issue is insurance. The question: Does the neighborhood swim team pose a financial threat to the well-being of area homeowners?

The Valencia Summit Homeowners Association says no. The association signs a contract each year allowing the team to use one of its four pools.

Within the already-exclusive Valencia Summit area, however, is the gated community of Stratford, about 200 homes.

Stratford’s HOA board says the Seals are underinsured; and if there’s a catastrophic accident, the owners of all 1,000 or so Summit homes would suffer.

Stratford board members are trying to get a restraining order to stop the Seals from swimming.

“We’re proceeding as if we’re going to court,” said Kevin Jagielo, president of the Stratford board. “This is our responsibility to protect everybody. It’s sad that it’s happened this way, but hopefully we can play nice.”

A neighborhood tradition
The Summit Seals is a six-week swim program that gives children 16 years or younger a chance to get off the couch and become better swimmers once school is out.

Nearly 100 kids are on the 2010 team, which competes with three other Valencia neighborhoods in the Santa Clarita Swim League, said Erik Wolpert, who helps run the Seals and has two kids on the team.

The Seals have been a staple of Valencia Summit summers since 1989.

To prepare for meets, the kids swim five days a week from 2 to 6 p.m. at one of the neighborhood’s four community pools.

“We’re out here to show our kids how to stay healthy and constructive during the summer,” Wolpert said. “The kids really look up to the coaches and get a lot out of it.”

The Seals are funded entirely by the children’s parents, private donations and fundraisers, Wolpert said.

The swim parents are well aware of Stratford’s concerns and said they’ve done all they can to meet the Stratford board’s demands. Kids don’t dive in the pool, practices were shortened and if someone wants to use the pool, a swimming lane is opened for him, Wolpert said.

The team’s insurance coverage was bumped up from $1 million to $5 million this year, which should be plenty to cover any potential liabilities, he said.

A group of coaches and parents monitor the pool at all times during practice, Wolpert said.

Potential lability
But the Stratford board is still concerned about insufficient insurance coverage. Members are prepared to take the matter to court to stop the Seals from swimming.

The insurance policy should be about $20 million, said Stratford board President Jagielo.

Valencia Summit’s insurance policy excludes organized sports teams from coverage, which puts every homeowner in the association at risk of picking up the tab if something terrible happens at the pool, he said.

“We know it’s great for the kids,” Jagielo said. “But (the Seals) are kind of gambling pretty heavy and rolling the dice hoping nothing happens in those three or four months.”

In May, the board hired a private investigator on the advice of its legal counsel to videotape parents signing up for the Seals.

Later that day, a sheriff’s deputy knocked on Jagielo’s door at 11 p.m. and told him two people had filed complaints with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Department accusing Jagielo of being a child molester.

“This is how far this has gotten,” Jagielo said. “I’ve now got my own personal attorney looking at who made these false accusations, and I filed a police report.”

Jagielo said he and other board members have received threatening phone calls from angry parents at home and work.

‘Hell-bent’ parents
Last April, the Valencia Summit homeowners association signed the 2010 contract allowing the Seals to use the clubhouse during the summer

In May, Bill Reynolds, a retired facilities manager for Lockheed Martin, resigned from the board to protest the HOA’s decision. He said he was also concerned about whether the Seals insurance coverage was sufficient.

“The swim team families come out in droves to make sure they get what they want, and board members support their contract every year,” Reynolds said.

“I was stunned at the behavior of all these people who were hell-bent to have this swim team contract approved. After all, we’re all volunteers on the board. It’s an unpaid job, and we’re getting all this harassment.”

In a prepared statement e-mailed to The Signal, Valencia Summit board members said they have met with insurance consultants and legal counsel and found the Seals are in full compliance with the association’s guidelines, and homeowners are fully protected from unreasonable liabilities.

Seals in limbo
As the legal battle escalates toward a potential lawsuit or restraining order, swim team parents are left to wonder if the Seals could become extinct.

“From my perspective, (the Stratford board) has never wanted to have us exist,” said swim parent Holly Thompson. “We’ve made so many concessions, and I don’t know if they’ll ever be happy until we’re gone.”