OLDS — The Olds Aquatic Centre finally reopened to the public Nov. 22, about four months after undergoing an extensive revamp.
"Finally today is the day that the pool did in fact open. Three hours and 23 minutes ago,” chief administrative officer Brent Williams said during a council budget meeting Wednesday.
“We do thank everyone for their patience,” he added. “A three-month project turned into a four-month project.”
The town waived all drop-in fees for the month of November as a thank you to residents and users for their patience.
Renovation of the facility began last summer and was expected to be completed in about 10 weeks. However, in October, the reopening date was pushed back to mid-November.
The $2.7 million renovation is expected to extend the life of 20-year-old facility by another 20 years and make it more environmentally friendly.
The project was primarily funded by a $2.2 million federal Green and Inclusive Community Buildings grant, cost-shared on an 80/20 basis.
The Town of Olds contributed $400,000 and Mountain View County allocated $140,000 for it.
Williams blamed the reopening delay on supply chain issues. Alberta Health Services also had to approve water samples.
During an interview with the Albertan, Williams said although the pool is now open, the project is not totally completed.
He said work on the main part of the roof is done. However, the roof over the lobby and the pitched portion of the roof still have to be redone.
Williams said the contractor will come back to complete that work, likely in the spring.
Williams said the project is still on budget as per the contract. "Delays were generally related to supply chain issues, so neither the town or contractor paid any extra," he wrote in an email.
Mayor Judy Dahl was pleased that the aquatic centre is finally open again.
“I’m very excited for the community. It’s time for the kids to get back with their families. It’s been a long time coming,” she said.
“We've been very proactive on being able to sustain the life of the facility.”
While the renovation project was underway, some families went to the pool in Didsbury for their aquatic fun and exercise.
Dahl was asked if she’s concerned about possibly not getting some of those people back in the Olds facility.
“That’s the decision of the families, it really is,” she said.
“Didsbury has a beautiful pool as well and Olds is very thankful that we had the opportunity to give our citizens an option to be able to use an aquatic centre, so I thank Didsbury for that and applaud them for being able to take the inflow.”
Dahl said she’s confident residents will “love their new aquatic centre when they see the improvements.”
