Families in Cochrane and west Rocky View County have their swimming pool back, after the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre (SLSFSC) reopened the Jayman Built Aquatic Centre Aug. 24 following a nearly five-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been a long time coming, we’ve spent a lot of time over the last couple of months doing significant maintenance on the aquatic centre,” said Blair Felesky, the chief executive officer of the SLSFSC.
Felesky said the aquatic centre's staff will employ several measures to ensure the safety of visitors during the pandemic. He said the aquatics team conducted in-water training, reorientation and recertification ahead of the reopening.
Now that the pool is open again, members must book their 45-minute block one week in advance of their visit, and Felesky said bookings must be made online. The online bookings ensure the effectiveness of the facility's tracing and tracking program.
Each lane in the lap pool is limited to one person, he added, and users must adhere to their booked time. The leisure pool has also been converted into a lane swimming pool, and the same rules will apply. The warm water therapy pool is restricted to therapy programs such as water stretching and healing movement.
All of the regulations in the pool have been made under the guidance of Alberta Public Health, Felesky said.
“We’re in touch with Alberta Health consistently, and they’re very, very supportive of what we’re doing,” he said. “We feel very comfortable with our processes.”
In a typical year, Felesky said, the aquatic entre would shut down for annual maintenance in September, but because of the forced closure due to COVID-19, staff made the decision to conduct the work during the summer months instead.
The maintenance included fixing sharp tile edges, resurfacing, changing lighting and other infrastructure upgrades, Felesky said.
To book a spot at the SLSFSC, or to see the full list of safety protocols in place at the facility, visit slsfamilysportscentre.com
