As one of the five municipalities who jointly own West Shore Parks & Recreation, on December 14, 2020 Colwood Council supported reopening the Juan de Fuca Pool. To cover Colwood's portion of the cost to safely reopen, $146,778 was allocated from the amount the City received from the Canada-BC Safe Restart Fund.
WEST SHORE PARKS & RECREATION NEWS RELEASE:
“The West Shore Parks & Recreation Board of Directors and staff are pleased to announce the reopening of the JDF pool; planned for Wednesday, January 20th, 2021. Through the dedicated work of the staff at the recreation centre, a safe restart of pool activities is planned with the support of all 5 partner municipalities through the use of the Canada-BC Safe Restart Fund. The board recognized the importance of the pool facilities to our communities and users and made it a priority to have it reopened as soon as it was possible and safe to do so.” ~ Kyara Kahakauwila, WSPR board chair
The pool was closed in March 2020 due to public health restrictions associated with COVID-19. The pool remained closed throughout 2020 due to the financial challenges of operating under the ongoing public health restrictions.
Pool programs will resume in phases, and each visit will require a reservation. Lane swimming, AquaFit, and leisure swim will begin on a limited basis from January 20th-31st (reservations begin Dec 16th), with additional sessions starting February 1st (reservations begin Jan 13th).
Swimming lessons will begin on February 1st including private, semi-private, family, or small group classes, with modifications for physical distancing. Registration for swimming lessons begins January 7th at 6AM.
“We’re very excited to reopen the pool. It is an essential recreation service that our community relies on. The ability for our community, particularly children, to resume these life skills is very important. We will be operating under strict health guidelines for everyone’s safety.” says Katherine Beck, Aquatics and Fitness Coordinator.
To maintain the safety of patrons and staff and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, pool use will be different. This includes the requirement for all participants to reserve their session in advance. Reservations allow us to ensure physical distancing is maintained and to provide staff time for additional cleaning.
Additional information on the pool reopening, along with all our current January through March program offerings, can be found in the new Winter Activity Guide on our website at www.westshorerecreation.ca. Schedules are subject to change without notice due to public health guidelines.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Geoff Welham
Manager of Recreation
Direct: 250-474-8655
Email: gwelham@westshorerecreation.ca
