Centennial Park Pool Opens Tomorrow

Following some setbacks, the Centennial Park Pool will be open to the public tomorrow.

Director of parks and leisure Jocelyn Cohoon says due to a number of challenges during construction, they weren’t able to open last year.

She says they would have opened sooner but needed to create a COVID-19 operational plan.

Cohoon says this includes a reduced bather load of 200, from 600.

Staff will keep track of the number of people coming in and once max capacity has been reached, patrons will be asked to stand in line and wait to fill someone’s spot.

“What we’re trying to encourage is keeping within your bubble and physically distancing when you’re on the deck. As you can see we’ve got 14 thousand square feet here but we would certainly encourage that people are respectful of other people’s distance and people should feel totally safe and comfortable coming for a swim,” she says.

Cohoon says the facility produces as much energy as it consumes thanks to a number of solar panels.

It also includes an outdoor shower area and a number of washroom/changing areas.

A sand area pays tribute to the former Centennial Beach it replaces, which operated from 1984 to 2017.

Entry is free for kids under 3, $3 for children 12 and under as well as for seniors and $5 for adults. Cash payments will be accepted but visitors are encouraged to pay using debit or credit.

As for the East End Pool, Cohoon says details will be announced early next week.