Some of the city’s fitness and pickleball programs will soon be on the move as part of a plan to provide services impacted by the unexpected closure of Canada Games Pool.
The parks and recreation department has finalized arrangements related to the relocation of aquatic and fitness programs and services that were discontinued because of the closure of the Canada Games Pool.
Equipment once located in the 557-square-metre Canada Games Pool Fitness Centre will be relocated to the gymnasium in Centennial Community Centre
Programs that have been offered in Centennial Community Centre’s gymnasium will move to alternate locations in the community. Pickleball is heading to Herbert Spencer Elementary School, group fitness classes are being relocated to other rooms in the community centre, Centennial Lodge and Century House, and other recreation programs offered in the gym are moving into different spaces at Centennial Community Centre.
“I want to thank the community for their patience and understanding while our recreation team worked to find the best possible solutions to accommodate our programs following the devastating loss of our largest public-serving facility,” said Dean Gibson, the city’s director of parks and recreation. “These new arrangements enable programs to be resumed that were highly utilized and valued by the community and allow us to welcome back many of our fitness and aquatic staff.”
According to a report to council, Centennial Community Centre’s gymnasium currently houses 19 hours of group fitness classes, three hours of pickleball and 4.25 hours of general recreation programs each week.
In November, Fitness New West users started a petition urging the city to consult with stakeholders and to reconsider its plan to relocate fitness programs to other spaces.
Beginning Feb. 14, all evening group fitness classes and all weekend fitness classes are moving to Century House. Morning fitness classes (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) will be offered at Centennial Lodge in Queen’s Park, while morning fitness classes (Tuesday and Thursday) will be take place in the River Room at Centennial Community Centre.
Equipment from Canada Games Pool’s fitness centre is expected to available to the public in early March at Centennial Community Centre, once electrical infrastructure and inspections are complete. Details about all the relocated programs can be found at www.newwestcity.ca/fitness.
“We had to make a difficult decision regarding the existing Canada Games Pool. It was going to require a bit of a juggling act to make sure our existing programming could be accommodated,” said Mayor Jonathan Cote. “I know there was community concern that services could be lost. But I think council really strived to make a commitment to make sure none of the programming was lost, and I really thank the hard work of parks and rec staff and all the flexibility with the different facilities to be able to help to be able to accommodate that and ensure that services can continue in a way that is convenient to the users. I really do appreciate all the work.”
In addition to fitness and recreation services, staff have been considering ways to mitigate the loss of aquatic services at Canada Games Pool by extending the summer season at outdoor pools, which are normally open from the end of June to Labour Day.
This year, Moody Park Outdoor Pool will open April 23 and Hume Park Outdoor Pool will open June 30, with both pools remaining open until Oct. 10. Lane swimming, swimming lessons, leisure swims and Aquafit will be offered at both facilities.
“I know all decisions were made with great consideration of the input and feedback received from program participants, community members and recreation staff,” Cote said in a news release. “I am confident the temporary solutions that have been put in place will serve our community well until we open the doors of təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre in 2023.”
On Monday, council received a report about the city’s 2022 outdoor aquatics plan and directed staff to bring forward amendments to outdoor pool admission fees. In past years, outdoor pools have offered free weekend swims, but staff is recommending a $2 admission fee for weekend swimming sessions.
According to a staff report, the city expects to generate a surplus of $75,000 by relocating Canada Games Pool’s fitness services to the community centre, with this surplus helping to offset a deficit that’s expected to result from the extension of the outdoor pool season.
Canada Games Pool has been closed since September because of flooding in the facility’s mechanical room and a leak in the main pool tank. Due to the cost and length of time needed to repair the pool, the city began decommissioning the pool in November 2021, a process that was scheduled to occur in August 2023 as part of the təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre construction project.
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