Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Liard (July 26/02) - No, it's not a mirage, but Fort Liard's pool isn't yet ready for use.

Senior administrative officer John McKee said it's hoped the pool will be open by late August.

It was originally to have opened this month.

"We probably will be able to get a little bit of swimming in this year, but it won't be a regular program," said McKee.

There's still some plumbing and electrical work to be done. A ventilation system and a chlorine generator also have to be installed.

"It's been far more complicated than we anticipated. Quite a few things have come up," McKee said.

However, the 45x80 foot steel shelter, attached to the recreation complex, has been erected. The steel framing is in place and the deck is completed.

The $400,000,

above-ground pool is being funded jointly by the hamlet and the territorial government. At 25x50 feet and 5.5 feet deep at the deep end, it is roughly equivalent to two swimming lanes, McKee said.

The hamlet will attempt to find a lifeguard for the few weeks the pool is open this year, he noted.

Next year, a lifeguard could be employed June through September as the pool will be heated, and the building will have unit heaters.

The chlorine generator Fort Liard has purchased actually uses salt to generate chlorine, thereby allowing the hamlet to avoid storage and handling of the chemical.

"It cuts down on that horrible chlorine feeling and smell," he said. "And if there's any place for potential for an accident, it's in the handling of the chlorine."

Broughton Island is the only other NWT community to use the chlorine generator technology, according to McKee.