Whitecourt pool prepares for 12-day closure

 

By Reed Clements

 

The Alliance Pipeline Aquatic Centre will have a biennial period of maintenance this February, during which it will be closed to the public for twelve days.

 

The pool, which is busy all year round, has chosen the dates of February 13 to 24 in order to “disrupt our user groups the least,” according to Jody Jager. However, the Aquatic Centre knows that this is a necessary evil, since “there is no quiet time for the pool.”

 

The purpose of the shutdown is to drain the pools in order to perform maintenance operations that would be impossible under normal conditions, such as replacing the sand in the filtration system. Furthermore, this year’s shutdown sees a few additional improvements being made to the pool, such as the installation of energy-efficient LED lights.

 

The shutdown will also allow the pool to dig up part of its deck, in order to repair one of the pool’s water features.

 

To take advantage of the closure, the centre is hosting some special events that would normally be impractical. The main event, a “Dye Hard Swim,” will involve tie dying the leisure pool. There will also be pool games and relay races.

 

The Dye Hard event takes place on February 12, from 6 to 8 p.m., the night before the closure begins.

 

Following the closure, the pool will return to its regular hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every other day. The centre has a free family swim for two hours every Sunday at 4.

 

The Alliance Pipeline Aquatic Centre is part of the Allan & Jean Millar Centre.