The Martensville Aquatic Centre is preparing to wind up a successful season this weekend.
Sunday, August 29 marks the final day for the outdoor pool.
“We had a very good season,” said Martensville Recreation and Community Services Manager Ted Schaeffer. “Our lessons were filled pretty close to capacity, and we also had very good attendance at public swims as well.”
Schaeffer said the consistently hot temperatures and dry conditions were factors in the pool’s popularity.
It wasn’t great for farmers, but it helped the city meet its budget projections for the aquatic centre.
“We basically had six weeks of ideal weather,” said Schaeffer. “We didn’t have to cancel any lessons or public swims because of lightning or cold rainy conditions.”
Schaeffer said the aquatic centre is on target to meet its projected revenue for this year, with about $57,000 in income so far. In 2019, the last ‘normal’ year of operation for the aquatic centre, the city took in about $64,000 in revenue from the facility.
Actual attendance numbers this past summer are difficult to compare with a normal year because COVID-19 health restrictions were still in place during the month of June and part of July.
“When the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, that really helped boost attendance,” said Schaeffer. “It didn’t change the way we operated. We still maintained the cleaning protocols and limited public swims to three-hour sessions.”
There were no reported incidents of COVID-19 among either patrons or staff at the aquatic centre.
Schaeffer said the addition this year of an additional heat exchanger kept the pool water temperature more consistent, even during cold mornings.
“The heat exchanger was very helpful for some of the early-morning lessons at the front and back end of the season,” he said.
While the aquatic centre is preparing to close, the recently-completed pump track nearby is still going strong.
“There are still a few finishing touches that need to be done on the pump track, but it’s open to the public now, and so far the feedback has been very positive,” said Schaeffer.
He said lights will be installed and some exterior landscaping needs to be done. Directional arrows also need to be laid down on the track. Schaeffer said it’s likely that work will be done this fall. An official opening of the pump track may take place later this autumn.
The city is also working on a concept plan for its new RV park, noted Schaeffer.
“Our contractor is working on a concept plan right now,” he noted. “The plan is to get some initial site preparation and servicing done this fall, hopefully.”
The RV park project is being partially funded by the provincial government through a Municipal Economic Enhancement Program (MEEP) grant.