OLDS — While he did not provide an exact date for the reopening of the Olds Aquatic Centre pool, chief administrative officer Brent Williams hinted to town council that day is now not very far away.
“We are still hopeful that will happen very soon,” he said during council’s Nov. 13 meeting.
Renovation of the facility began in late June/early summer.
At that time, that work was predicted to take about 10 weeks to complete. In October, the reopening date was pushed back to mid-November. At that time, the delay was blamed on “supply chain issues and regulatory requirements.”
When completed, the project is expected to make the 20-year-old facility greener and extend its life by another 20 years.
Valued at $2.7 million, the project is primarily funded by a $2.2 million federal Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) grant, cost-shared on an 80/20 basis.
The Town of Olds is contributing $400,000 and Mountain View County is allocating $140,000 for it.
Williams said the Town is waiting for pool and hot tub samples submitted to Alberta Environment to come back, hopefully with the all-clear.
Contractors are also waiting for a couple of components “largely for the showers,” to complete the project, he said.
“Your understanding and support mean a lot to us during this time. Thank you," the Town said on its website.
“We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and understand how important the pool is to our community. We’re committed to getting our pool up and running safely.”
