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New pool makes a splash Fort Simpson facility draws in crowds
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, July 11, 2013
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Swimming has undergone a resurgence in popularity in Fort Simpson since
the opening of the village's new swimming pool.
Mikayla Lafferty, 9, participates in a public swim session at the new swimming pool in Fort Simpson on July 5. The new facility has proven to be very popular. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo
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When the pool opened on June 21, so many people came for the public swim that the pool reached its capacity of 72 people. The pool's staff had to divide the swimming time in two to accommodate all 100 people who wanted to test out the new facility.
Three weeks in, the pool has continued to draw large numbers, said Caitlin Jaffray, the pool supervisor.
"Everybody is really excited about how open it is, how it's a clean, new building," she said.
During public swims, which run from 2 to 4 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, there has yet to be less than 27 youths in the pool. During the past few years at the former pool, that number would have been a record turnout, she said.
Jaffray attributes the pool's popularity to the fact the new facility is nicer and the pool itself is a bit longer and wider, reaches 1.7 metres in the deep end. Young teenagers who had outgrown the old pool are coming to the new pool, she said.
Although the public swim continues to be the most popular activity, swimming lessons also have seen an uptake in participation. Twenty-eight youths are currently enrolled in lessons, compared to approximately 10 at the former pool last year.
Jacob Letcher is one of the new pool enthusiasts. Letcher comes every morning for swimming lessons and returns in the afternoon for the public swim.
"It's fun," said the six-year-old said about swimming.
Letcher said he likes the new pool more than the old one because it is bigger.
Adults are also coming to the new pool with even the early morning lane swim from 7 to 8:30 a.m. being utilized. Jaffray said she thinks adults are more comfortable at the new facility because of the updated change rooms and the overall look of the pool.
"It's a nicer place to be," she said.
The five staff, including Jaffray, also appreciate the new facility because it is easier to maintain and draw in participants. The staff are all from the area and have received their National Lifeguard Service (NLS) certification so they can guard.
Despite the already high rate of usage, Jaffray is encouraging all village residents to come and see the new pool and take home a copy of the pool's schedule that also includes sessions for parents and tots, family swim and aquafit.
"We'd love to see more people out," she said.
The project to build a new pool, which was completed in stages, began approximately five years ago. The total cost of the project hasn't been calculated yet and the final bills are still arriving, said Mitch Gast, the village's acting senior administrative officer.
The former pool had reached the end of its lifespan. In 2012 a structural engineer advised the village the pool could only be used for that summer before being closed, Gast said.
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