SUNDRE - The Aquaplex will be ready to welcome patrons once the COVID-19 pandemic passes.
“We’re prepared to re-open as soon as the word comes in,” recently said Roy Cummings, Sundre and District Aquatic Society president.
“We’re not going away. We will open up again,” said Cummings.
When the board decided to follow the lead of the Olds Aquatic Centre and implemented a temporary closure, he said Sundre’s indoor pool and fitness centre was not closed up so tightly that preparing to open again would take months.
“We’re not draining the pool — the water’s staying in,” he said, adding the facility will continue to be monitored with daily checks, just as though it was still being used.
“The only part of the pool that’s actually being drained is the hot tub,” he said, citing a leak and repair issue as the reason for that decision.
Unfortunately, he said the board was forced to make the difficult decision to lay off most of the staff for the time being. The facility’s manager, whose hours were reduced, will endeavour to keep patrons and the public posted with new developments as they arise, he said.
To ease the minds of people who have purchased memberships or perhaps paid for lessons, Cummings said, “We’re going to honour all of those.”
Requests for refunds will be dealt with on an individual basis, but Cummings said he hopes people will be patient as the pandemic passes.
The day after the board decided to temporarily close the Aquaplex’s doors on Monday, March 16, the provincial government declared a state of emergency in Alberta.
Meanwhile, negotiations with the municipality, which the society has asked to take over operations of the indoor pool and fitness centre, have been put aside, said Cummings.
“We will carry on those conversations with the town once this COVID threat has come and gone,” he said.
Mayor Terry Leslie also said the negotiations are on hold in light of recent events.
“I believe that there are some ongoing discussions that will resume as we get through the ramifications of what we’re dealing with,” said Leslie, referring to the pandemic.
“I really don’t think folks should read into the closure of the Aquaplex and fitness centre as anything negative,” he said.
The decision, he added, was in line with similar closures of other recreational facilities, not only throughout the community but also the entire province. That is all part of the mitigation strategy to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, he said.
“This is a temporary closure, like the temporary closures of the curling rink, the arena, the community centre, and the library.”
The mayor said he remains optimistic that in the hopefully not-too-distant future, the pool — along with the rest of Sundre’s recreational facilities — will re-open.
