OLDS — The Aquatic Centre remains closed until further notice while town officials figure out when and how to staff it for an eventual reopening.
That's the message community services director Doug Wagstaff gave to town councillors during their Feb. 8 meeting.
Wagstaff said relaxed COVID-19 restrictions do allow pools to be open. However he said two things are holding Olds back from reopening its Aquatic Centre. One is scheduling staff for such a reopening and the other is determining how to do so safely. For example, can six lanes be allowed? Or only five?
Wagstaff said the town is monitoring the actions of 15 communities in south central Alberta that have pools. As of Feb. 8, four had reopened.
“We are still watching to see how that unfolds for them,” he said, adding as of Feb. 8 pools in Calgary remained closed until further notice.
“Our pool is closed until further notice and we’ll continue to assess whether or not we’re able to offer any services well within the health regulations,” he said.
Wagstaff said some patrons, including the local swim club, are wary of returning at this point.
Coun. Heather Ryan expressed hope that the town has a plan in place for reopening the facility.
"With no pun intended, it is a fluid situation. We have rolling three alternative plans ready in place to take a look at how those would unfold. So we are working on a number of alternatives ready to be able to do that,” Wagstaff said.
