Redcliff opening pool, splash park on Monday
By JUSTIN SEWARD Alberta Newspaper Group on June 27, 2020.
It looks like Redcliff residents will be able to jump into the local pool after all this summer. The town confirmed the pool and the new-look splash park at Lions Park will open June 29. Public swimming will be opened on Monday and lessons will begin July 6. The decision came after pools and splash parks were a part of Alberta’s Stage 2 relaunch on June 12. “It looks like we’re on schedule to do that,” said Derrin Thibault, the town’s director of community and protective services. The date was set to allow the town to co-ordinate everything including the heating of the pool, chemicals poured in the water and training for the staff. “We have some specific COVID training that we have to get implemented before opening,” he said. “These are students we hire and we have to get them up to speed on what the public health regulations are around COVID-19. So that’s going to be the sanitation, the spacing and it is how we’re going to achieve that at the pool.” The town took into consideration how it can stagger swimming lesson schedules to accommodate the 100-person limit in an outdoor setting. “We typically have a family swim and a public swim,” he said. “And because we have to reduce the amount of people, we just turn them both into public swims and our asking the same folks not to attend both swims. Typically our capacity there is around 400 and with outside gatherings, the way they are now, we’re only allowed to accommodate 100. I’m not going to say we were at capacity all time. We could certainly be around the 200 mark and we are going to have to be turning people away.” Parents will have to be present for lessons because the town does not want the lifeguard and non-family member interaction. The town asks you come dressed to swim instead of having to go through the change room, though change rooms and showers will still be available if people need. Lockers will be off limits and there will be a half hour between swim times where staff will do sanitizing on high-frequent touch points. The schedule is the same as previous years. 14-13
