The annual pool shutdown for the RM of Estevan Aquatic Centre will see a number of projects completed, including the replacement of the flooring inside the men’s and family change rooms.
The shutdown will begin Sept. 3 and is slated to continue until Oct. 1. Erin Wilson, the program manager for leisure services, said the pool shutdown is an important part of maintenance at the facility.
“We do a lot of the housekeeping items that we wish we could get to more often, so there’s a lot of cleaning,” she said.
The flooring replacement represents the biggest project this year. Work has already started on the family change room. When it is complete, the work will shift to the men’s change room. Male users of the leisure centre will then change inside the family change room.
The floors in the two change rooms needed to be replaced due to its age, Wilson said.
“We have done a lot of deep cleaning with it, we grouted it,” said Wilson.
As for the flooring in the women’s change room, it will have to wait for another year, she said.
The pool is a busy site throughout the year, and Wilson believes the city is blessed to have such a facility. But maintenance can be tough when the pool is open.
“When there’s water in the pool, it’s really tough for us to get lifts in there to even change lightbulbs, and when there’s water in the pool, it’s really tough for us to address the pumps or the pool toys,” said Wilson.
One of the pool toys, known as the water curtain, will be repaired during pool shutdown. The breaker hasn’t always been working, and the water doesn’t always flow. Once shutdown is finished, the water curtain should be used to its full potential.
September is also a perfect time to have pool shutdown. Swimming lessons won’t start until October, and user groups such as the Estevan Mermaids synchronized swim club and the Estevan Sharks water polo club begin their seasons in October as well. A shutdown in the late fall or winter months would affect those clubs, she said.
They also couldn’t shut it down in the spring and early summer because of the Estevan Golden Eels speed swimming club.
Wilson noted that the pool shutdown is also a good opportunity to spend time with staff members, and there are a lot of new faces working at the pool this year.
“We’re going to get them all ready to go so we can put our best foot forward when all the patrons return on Oct. 1,” said Wilson.
