Many Valley residents have been enjoying the pool this summer. We have seen a great start with attendance for our Red Cross swimming lessons, and a number of youth in the valley have been participating in Lifesaving awards such as Bronze Star and Bronze Cross. These young people will hopefully be our future lifeguards and instructors! However, the recent weeks have also seen some frustrations in regards to unscheduled pool closures.
As we all know Centennial Pool is aging, built in 1967 it is in its 46th year! Much of the infrastructure has been pieced together over the years with the help of the CCRD and funding as it becomes available. Each year we do our best to make improvements, this year saw the creation of a new undercover viewing area, smoother and safer cement decking as well as a new pump.
However new challenges seem to arise with every coming year as well and replacement parts can be very costly and take time to arrive in the valley. Staff have been working hard to maintain the pool and to keep closures to a minimum. Any closures that are made are necessary in maintaining proper pool chemistry and a high level of safety for our pool users.
We realize that unplanned closures can be both inconvenient and irritating to members of the public and apologize for this however we are doing the very best we can with the funding we have. It is always a good idea to give the pool a call (250-982-2488) prior to coming to confirm our hours. We hope that the Valley residents and visitors continue to enjoy and use this wonderful service that is available to our community.