ESTEVAN - It’s been nearly three years since the swimming pool at the Churchill Playpark has been open, and the long wait is over for those who live in the area and others who frequent the park.
A new swimming pool has been installed at the site. The Saskatchewan Health Authority carried out an inspection.
In a video posted to the City of Estevan's Facebook page Tuesday, program manager Erin Wilson said the health inspector has signed off on the pool, and now they're waiting for the water test to come back.
Rod March, the manager of parks and facilities for the City of Estevan, said the landscaping works have been completed but some work remains on the soil around the perimeter.
The water chemistry has been balancing and a state of the art system is in place for water clarity.
Demolition of the old pool started earlier in the spring. It was delayed a few weeks due to the heavy snow in April and a wetter than normal spring.
“The utilities on that one were around $40,000 a year in water and sewer fees. That one, all the water went straight out over the bank down to the ball diamonds, so it was emptied daily when it was being used,” said March.
Paradise Pools, who was awarded the tender for the project, has been great to work with, March said, and their sub-contractor has been really good, too.
“They’re just as apologetic as we are when it comes to the delays, but we can’t do much about the weather,” said March.
The pool replacement was included in last year’s city budget, but delays in liners and other products pushed completion back to this year.
The City of Estevan received a $200,000 grant from the Community Revitalization Fund for the pool, and the rest of the cost was covered by federal gas tax revenues. Total cost is expected to be around $400,000.
Some work remains for showers and change rooms at the site. If council approves it, a building would be put in place this fall or next spring.
The pool is expected to remain open for the rest of the playpark season.
“People were calling about it, wanting it put back. Council had some hard decisions to make when it comes to budget deliberations,” said March. “They do their best, and we were so fortunate to get the grant this year to get this going.”
Some were upset it didn’t happen earlier this year.
