SCRD doesn’t budge on Gibsons pool closure

This article was first published on the Coast Reporter on October 10, 2020 by Sophie Woodrooffe. All rights reserved.

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board has not budged on its decision to keep the Gibsons pool closed, despite an appeal by Gibsons Mayor Bill Beamish to reconsider the decision.

The Gibsons and District Aquatic Facility is the only recreation facility operated by the SCRD not to open following the spring and summer shutdown due to COVID-19.

Beamish’s letter urged directors “to reconsider their decision to keep the Gibsons pool closed,” arguing the pool gives residents “an important social outlet, as well as providing exercise and rehabilitation programs that are vital for the health of our residents, and especially our seniors who might find it difficult to travel to the Sechelt Pool.”

It ended with another request – to get “the facts behind the decision, including a cost breakdown of operating the pool and the new costs incurred due to COVID-19.”

SCRD directors briefly discussed the letter at an Oct. 8 planning committee meeting. 

Gibsons director David Croal picked up on Beamish’s last point, saying despite asking, he had yet to receive answers to questions including how much it would cost to install COVID-19 plastic barriers, what the capacity of the facility would be if it reopened, implications for operating the hot tub, and whether it would be possible to run the pool at a reduced time span to comply with union staffing regulations.

The Town of Gibsons, he said, offered to pay for screens and other capital costs associated with the reopening, which was estimated at $10,000.

“I’m just sort of wondering, are we going to get any of the information that was requested?” Croal said, adding that letters from concerned residents “keep coming in.”  

Planning general manager Ian Hall said staff’s current direction, provided by the board, “is to proceed on the restart plan that we’re on now, monitor demand and then report back.” That’s expected to happen in the fourth quarter, he said, and will include reviewing “possibilities related to the Gibsons pool.”

Hall also said the cost of protective equipment was estimated to be “in the range of $10,000.”

Croal responded that a cost of $61,000 had been previously referenced for the pool to reopen starting October to the end of the year.

He added that young people have their own stake in the pool.

“One of the ramifications that has come up is the loss of employment to students,” since a number of youth have traditionally worked as lifeguards, Croal said. “They’ve just been sort of cut out of the loop. It doesn’t seem that it’s that easy for them to fill the positions at the Sechelt pool. So there are a lot of community implications.”

No motion came out of the discussion, save for one by Sechelt director Darnelda Siegers, for the regional district to respond with a letter of its own outlining the directors’ decision to keep it closed, what they’ve learned from reopening the Sechelt Aquatic Centre, and other information “based on the questions that have come forward.”

Croal said it would be “greatly appreciated” to get some dialogue going between the two local governments.

Elphinstone director Donna McMahon pointed out, as she had at previous meetings, that directors aren’t privy to cost breakdowns per facility. “It’s very difficult to make decisions when we don’t fully understand the cost implications of a lot of this,” she said. “And it’s going to be a big problem for the budget process as well.”

At the same meeting, directors also got a first glimpse of the how many people have used the facilities since they began to reopen in September. Those numbers trended downwards, but staff said visits are picking up.

For example, at the Sechelt Aquatic Centre there was a decrease of 7,697 visits between Sept. 9 and Sept. 30 compared with the same time period last year.

At that facility, the lap pool and weight room was open by Sept. 9 and the leisure pool was opened Sept. 27.

During the first week of September, the 38 staff who usually work at the Pender, Gibsons and Sechelt aquatic facilities received training and certification updates.