High groundwater during this year’s freshet has pushed back the opening of the pool in Keremeos.
Mark Woods, community services manager, said because the groundwater was so high necessary repairs to the pool’s liner were delayed.
“Basically the groundwater was very high. The pool is a box that’s in the ground and you have to keep water in it when the groundwater is high or that box will crack further,” he said.
Each year water is put in the pool to allow as spring runoff comes through the area. The pool is then emptied again, cracks filled and new paint put on before refilling for the season.
In the last week or so all the prep work was completed at the pool but staff are now waiting for special paint to arrive before it can be refilled with water.
Unfortunately, because there was a delay in the maintenance the school groups that usually use the pool in June will not do so this year.
Woods said the schools have been in contact with the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen and plans are being arranged to have the school swims in September instead of June.
“The schools needed a commitment at the end of May so they could start programs June 11. We just weren’t in a position to commit to that because of the expected high freshet this year,” he said.
Woods said some upgrades were done to the pump and all necessary permits from Interior Health are in place to operate the pool. Staff is in the process of lining up life guards for this season.
“The pool is our primary objective. Justin (Shuttleworth) does an awesome job. This is not something we had on the list to do. We had to switch some things up with Karl’s departure, but we’re getting it up and staff is taking this on and hoping to open for the usual July 1 opening for the public,” he said.
Karl Donoghue, the former facilities manager resigned from his post after 27 years effective immediately in mid-April. Prior to his departure, four Similkameen Recreation Commission members had given up their volunteer positions with several telling the Review at the time their departures had to do with a planned forced retirement of Donoghue in 2019.
Since then staff at the RDOS, who oversees the Similkameen Recreation Centre including the gym and the pool sites, have been handling things.
A new part-time program co-ordinator was hired earlier this year and Justin Shuttleworth, parks and facilities co-ordinator for the RDOS, has been overseeing the facilities.
Woods said applications for a facilities manager for Keremeos recreation have been shortlisted and interviews are expected to start next week.
At this point only one person has put their name forward to join the Recreation Commission, which is a volunteer board that helps steer programming.
“They were all (previous rec commission members) on their perspective when we met with them earlier in the spring that they wanted to keep programs running and keep building relationships. Once we get that management role filled that person will really work as an anchor for that function to continue to work with the program co-ordinator, and the commission and the elected officials,” Woods said.
“We have six (rec) commissions in the RDOS and they’re hit and miss. It’s not time sensitive to get members there, but it is time sensitive to get the pool up and running and the get the facilities up and running and hopefully there will be some interest once that’s done.”