The Canora Swimming Pool (CSP) had one of the busiest summers in recent memory, but the large and experienced staff was up to the challenge.
The pool had a total of 11 instructors, which made it possible to provide the public for more options for swimming lessons than in the past, said Aaron Herriges, director of leisure services.
“Having this scheduling flexibility was ideal but might not be possible every year, because it is so dependent on the number of staff and their qualifications.”
Total revenue was up 15 per cent from an average year, said Herriges.
The pool attendance figures paint an accurate picture of the summer activity.
On a daily average, approximately 25 people came through the gates for open swimming. The highest swimmer load came on July 21, during the Canora in Bloom week, where there were 44 people at once.
The season pass sales included 27 for families, 28 for children, 25 for students, five for adults and seniors purchased four passes.
CSP had five graduated students on staff, which meant the pool could be opened to the schools almost every day in June until swimming lessons started.
The pool strives to be a leader in the region for offering Red Cross courses, said Herriges.
“Two of our senior staff members, Mina Mykytyshyn and Kelly Baziuk, are now qualified to teach Red Cross Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor’s courses.”
There were a total of 82 registrants for private swimming lessons. In the regular group lessons, there were 104 June registrants, 59 in July, and 47 registrants in August.
During Canora in Bloom, the leisure services and the pool staff offered several fun activities for the public to take part in, including movie night, slip ‘n’ slide, scavenger hunt, face painting and more. Herriges said they love to hear new ideas from anyone wishing to share.
A number of improvements were made at the pool over the summer months. Additional aqua fitness equipment was purchased at the start of the season.
Basin cracks were repaired in the paddling pool and the main pool, and cracks were repaired on the deck. Coating and preservation was completed on the perimeter privacy fence, and the colour was changed to bright white. The chain link fence, paddling pool drains and skimmer were all repaired.
Looking ahead to 2018, Herriges would like to pass along an important reminder of one of the pool’s safety policies.
“Children must be eight years old to swim without an adult. It’s the parent or guardian’s responsibility and check in with the lifeguard if you are unsure of any policy, especially when it comes to proper supervision of our youth,” he said. “After all, the safety of everyone at the pool is the number one priority.”
