After months of uncertainty, the Martensville Aquatic Centre is back in the swim of things.
The popular outdoor pool opened for the season on Saturday, July 4.
And boy, was it busy.
“Opening day went really well,” said facility manager Emma Anthony in an interview on Tuesday, July 7. “It was very exciting to see how many people wanted to come out. They’re happy the pool is able to operate this summer, and that their kids can take swimming lessons and have a place to go and cool down.”
Anthony said under the provincial COVID-19 health guidelines, the pool is able to accommodate only 100 people at a time, including staff and parents observing their kids. That’s about one-third of the facility’s regular capacity, which translates into reduced revenue at the same time the pool’s expenses have gone up.
She said the city’s recreation and community services department weighed the cost and benefits of operating the pool under the new guidelines.
“It’s unclear whether we’ll see a deficit on operations at the end of the season, but it all came down to the fact that everyone in Martensville, Warman and area, and even Saskatoon, really loves the pool and we just wanted to make it available.
“In the end it was felt that it was worth it, because it’s an important service to the community that people really appreciate.”
Anthony said to ensure the facility stays within the 100-patron limit, strict counts are kept on the number of people entering and leaving.
“We instituted an online pre-booking system this season,” said Anthony. “People can book swimming lessons or a spot for public swimming up to three days in advance, and pay for it online. They can then just present their receipt or confirmation at the gate and they don’t have to wait in line.”
Currently, the facility allows 50 people who have pre-booked, and 50 people who are waiting in line at a time. Over the summer, she anticipates more people will pre-book, which could shift the ratio.
Anthony said the facility staff have been trained on the new guidelines and are doing extensive cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces throughout the day.
“We have one dedicated staff member who constantly monitors physical distancing of swimmers; and also cleans surfaces like hand rails on the waterslides and picnic tables,” said Anthony. “In between swimming lessons and public swim times, there are breaks where we do overall cleaning of everything including washrooms and change rooms.”
Anthony, a University of Saskatchewan Pharmacology and Physiology student, served as a co-manager of the facility last year. She has been on the pool staff for five years. She had contracted with the city at the end of last season to return this year as manager, but the COVID-19 lockdown put everyone’s plans on ice.
“I was really hoping to get the call to come back,” she said. “At one point I thought I might have to look for another job. But fortunately, things worked out. I’m really grateful to be back because it’s a great place to work.”
She wasn’t the only one waiting for the province to lift restrictions on outdoor pools. She soon had a full complement of lifeguards and other pool staff.
She noted that the pool has also had applications from people who worked at Saskatoon outdoor pools, because the larger city is only opening a select few this summer.
The Martensville recreation staff had to hustle to get the pool in shape for opening day.
“When the announcement was made, we didn’t have much time to prepare,” said Anthony. “The pool had no water in it, so not only did it have to be filled and heated up, but the chemicals had to be balanced, and the public health officer had to inspect it and give us the go-ahead.
“The day before we opened we were setting up signs and spray painting the sidewalk with physical distancing markers and a million and one other things,” she added. “But we made it happen and I think people are happy to see the pool open again.”