Oxbow area residents have been looking forward to the completion of their new swimming pool for years.
That day appears to be just weeks away.
Tami Scott, the community development officer with the Town of Oxbow, said they are down to the final weeks of construction. If the weather co-operates and they don’t get much rain in the next week or so, they will be able to apply the lining to the pool.
“We’re doing some of the finishing work inside the change house and getting things painted, the benches in and that kind of stuff,” said Scott. “The mechanical room, some of that stuff is still waiting for SaskEnergy to come and get their lines hooked up, but once that’s done, it will just take another day or two to get everything fixed up there.”
Rain would cause a setback for the pool construction, but they would be able to resume with the work once the rain is finished.
Landscaping work around the pool, including sod with underground sprinklers, will need good weather before it can be completed.
She expects the pool will be open in mid-July. They had hoped for July 1, but they understood that goal was weather and contractor-dependent.
“We feel that the project is pretty successful by figuring out that we’re going to just be a week or two past that, so we’re happy with it,” said Scott.
The new pool will be located close to where the former Oxbow high school used to be; the old school building has been transformed into the town’s memorial hall, and the hall and the pool will share a parking lot.
Larger than its predecessor, the pool will be a junior Olympic-sized pool with six swimming lanes. A zero entry means that people can walk in at the shallow end and not have to jump in or climb in. It should be ideal for toddlers and people with disabilities.
“It has splash trees for the toddler part of the pool, which is going to be fun. The size of the pool is large enough that we’re going to be able to host swim meets, which in our old pool, we didn’t have the ability to do that anymore.”
Oxbow is among the smallest communities in the province to have a summer speed swimming club, the Oxbow Seawolves. Scott said they’ve been very successful in the past.
“This year we’re very grateful to the town of Carnduff. They have been allowing the speed swimming club to practise there, and I know that they’re going to be glad to get into their beautiful new home pool,” said Scott.
The previous outdoor pool is more than 45 years old, and continues to experience issues. It won’t open at all this year. When it was open last year, it was difficult to heat.
“I think everybody’s really glad to get into new facilities,” Scott said.
The effort to get a new pool constructed has been on the go for more than six years. It has taken that long to get the plans organized, do some fundraising and to get everything underway.
Western Recreation started construction on the new pool last year.
Cory Mercer has been volunteering his time to be the overall volunteer construction manager for the contractors, and Scott said he has provided a big service to the community.
Two sets of swimming lessons are slated to be offered at the pool this year. The first will begin at the end of July, and the second will be in August. There will be regular public swimming and pool parties, like they have had in the past. Vermilion Energy will sponsor free swims each week, meaning the pool will be busy for the final six weeks of the summer.
The pool has a projected price tag of $1.7 million to $1.8 million. Some last-minute bills have to be paid, and there is a contingency fund.
The community raised $1.1 million before construction started, and the Town of Oxbow came forward with a loan to the recreation board and the pool committee to complete the project.
“The pool committee will be working hard at fundraising for the next several years to help pay off that debt,” said Scott.
People were very generous with their support, especially since the downturn in the energy sector started early on in the fundraising process.
Ensign Drilling and Tundra Energy Marketing Ltd. (now Kingston Midstream) both donated over $100,000 each. The money from Tundra was through the Richardson Foundation. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. and the James Armstrong estate donated between $50,000 and $100,000. Many others donated at least $5,000.
At a lobster supper in the town last weekend, they auctioned off the rights to have the first jump into the pool. The Cory Kitz family was the successful bidder.
“We’re pleased for them that when we do finally get everything done, they’re the first ones that get to take the first jump off the diving board,” said Scott.
