COVID-19 put a damper on public swimming pools last year, and it was no different for Campbell River’s Centennial Pool.
The summer hotspot on 4th Avenue was left empty after it was shut down due to public health restrictions.
However, with the facility starting to show its age, a closure wasn’t all bad news. Construction crews could upgrade the pool without having to work around patrons.
“It’s one of our oldest facilities, but we recognize the importance of maintaining an outdoor pool,” city manager Deborah Sargent says. “It needed some major structural maintenance that hadn’t been done for several years.”
While the pool remains closed and there’s no official opening date set, she tells My Campbell River Now the goal is to have it reopen sometime this summer.
“We’re hoping that’s soon,” Sargent explains. “The icing on the cake is the final painting.” With this in mind, she says the rain has “created a bit of delay” for painting crews.
In the meantime, there’s another place to cool off in town. The splash park next to the Sportsplex is now up and running. It’s open daily this summer from 10:00 am until 8:00 pm.
“We’ve done a major renovation and upgrades on the pool, so it’ll be a welcome opening on a number of fronts,” Mayor Andy Adams adds.
