The current year has been one of change and uncertainty due to the current pandemic. We also anticipate that these circumstances will continue well into the summer. As a result, the Town of Kamsack has made a number of difficult decisions.
From restricting access to public facilities to postponing recurring annual events, your municipality has taken significant steps to comply with public health orders to limit the presence and impact of COVID-19 in our community. In line with these objectives, the Town of Kamsack has decided to not open the swimming pool for the summer of 2020. This challenging decision was only made after serious considerations and discussions.
The government’s Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan allows recreational facilities, including outdoor swimming pools, to re-open in Phase 4. However, the re-opening date has not been set for Phase 4 as it will be determined by the outcomes of Phases 1 through 3. As such, no date has been set by the province outlining when the swimming pool might be allowed to open. In addition, we would be required to ensure that physical distancing still occurs, increased cleaning and disinfecting measures are in place and the number of people at the pool is limited. Finally, and most importantly, a main priority of the town continues to be the safety of our staff and the public. These requirements make both providing lessons and ensuring adequate care, especially during an emergency, very difficult; if not impossible.
The decision to not open the swimming pool for the 2020 season was especially difficult because this year was supposed to be a tremendous and exciting time for our swimming pool. Extensive renovations and upgrades have been made to our swimming pool, beginning in October of 2019.
The main goal of the swimming pool expansion project is to create a safer and fully accessible swimming pool where everyone will be able to use this wonderful facility with confidence and in comfort. This is being accomplished by adding a gradual, zero-depth entry, a toddler pool, new pipes and fittings to accommodate the expanded 1,700 square feet in infrastructure, a completely new pool liner, 2 floor geysers, 2 spray features, as well as the swimming pool deck, equipment and landscaping. Once the expansion is complete, our pool will offer an opportunity for physical activity and play in a safe, supervised, accessible and inclusive setting. We are also happy to report that we remain on schedule.
To date, we have accomplished the following:
· Excavated the site,
· Demolished and removed walls from the current pool that are no longer needed,
· Installed footers and water drainage system,
· Installed new pool walls to accommodate the expansion, and new piping and fittings,
· Compacted the base for the pool floor and backfilled the perimeter to allow for the remaining components to be installed correctly.
However, as a result of the pandemic and corresponding pool closure, we are delaying the original construction schedule. Instead of June 30th, the final completion date has been postponed until early fall, as there is no longer a push to ensure we open for Canada Day, which was the original plan.
With that being said, we are looking forward to 2021 as our swimming season will start with the highly anticipated grand opening of the new pool. We are also hoping to open the pool earlier in 2021 to provide everyone with more opportunities to be physically active for a longer period of time.
