A former varsity swimmer and Olympian trying to save McKinnon Pool from being closed said the University of Victoria has agreed to conduct an engineering report on the maintenance that would be required to keep it operating — at least temporarily.
Wayne Kelly met with UVic president Kevin Hall this week and said the university will see what’s needed to “patch up” the swimming pool, a process that could keep it open for three to four years while a new facility is being explored.
“It was obvious there’s a lot of pressure on [Hall] with the decision to close the pool,” Kelly said in an interview Tuesday. “He agreed that the closure was rushed.” Hall is “supportive of the plan to repair and is hopeful that fundraising can assist with those repairs.”
The University of Victoria announced last month it was closing the 50-year-old pool, saying it had reached the end of its life cycle and was too costly to maintain.
UVic said it would need $1.5 million in upgrades, and indicated it had no appetite to “balance the significant costs of upgrading and maintaining the facility alongside investments in infrastructure and programming that benefit the entire campus community.”
A detailed list of what needs to be repaired was not provided at the time of the July 2 announcement.
UVic is scheduled to drain the pool Sept. 15, dispersing “thousands of users” into the community where the six remaining pools are already at maximum capacity, said Kelly.
He said the pool is used by varsity teams, the Pacific Coast Swimming club, students, alumni clubs and others, such as triathletes, water polo players, kayak clubs and synchronized swimmers — even engineering students who test submersible crafts there.
The decision sent shock waves through the swimming community, and a flood of backlash online and via letters received by the Times Colonist.
A Facebook group that’s trying to save the pool has more than 500 members and an online petition and fundraiser on Change.org has collected more than 3,500 signatures.
Times Colonist publisher and editor Dave Obee reached out to the university in July to ask if the pool could be kept open if the $1.5 million could be raised, but has not heard back.
Obee said Tuesday if the University of Victoria needs $1.5 million to keep the McKinnon Pool open, the Times Colonist will do all it can to raise the money. “We are ready to go as soon as UVic gives us the green light,” said Obee.
“We have supported UVic’s athletics programs for decades, and we present one of the most prestigious awards at the university’s celebration of champions,” he said. “A fundraising campaign would be in keeping with our support of UVic.”
The Times Colonist contacted Hall’s office for comment. A senior public affairs officer said no one was available to speak, but added UVic is preparing a media opportunity at McKinnon Pool within the next week.
Kelly said Hall also met with MLAs Murray Rankin and Lana Popham as well as Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto and Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock to discuss replacement plans.
But he said those discussions were unclear about where a new pool would be located.
“It was sounding like a community pool somewhere in the area, but not necessarily at UVic,” said Kelly. “That would be a huge mistake, I think. If they are talking about the new Crystal Pool replacement, that’s just taking the pressure off UVic to build a pool for the students and the wider community.”
Kelly is a principal in the Sooke School District and head of sports academies who represented Canada in the 1984 Olympics. He said the loss of the pool at UVic represents a “huge blow” to students, families, seniors and everyone in the community seeking opportunities to improve their physical and mental health.
Obee admits he isn’t a serious swimmer and has never used the McKinnon Pool. But he said a friend swims there regularly with her children. “She called me the day the closure was announced and made a passionate argument about why UVic needs a pool,” said Obee. “She said there was strong support for the pool in the community — and based on the number of letters on the pool that we have received in the past six weeks, I would say that she is right.”
Kelly said UVic had a new pool planned as part of the Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities complex, commonly known as CARSA, which opened in the spring of 2015.
But the second phase which was to feature a new pool was dropped.
There is space alongside the new CARSA building, but it’s just a parking lot now because “the plan for a pool just fell off the map,” Kelly said.
UVic shuttered the outdoor pool at the Ian Stewart Complex, formerly the Racquet Club, when it opened the CARSA facility.
Kelly said if finances to build a new pool are the main worry at UVic, there are less-expensive options.
He has been speaking with executives at Italian-based Myrtha Pools, which builds stainless steel modular pools at a fraction of the cost of concrete. The company’s pools have been made for several international events, including the Paris Olympics.
Kelly said a 10-lane, 50-metre pool is about $5.5 million, but doesn’t include decking, stands or roofing.
He said it could fit in the space at CARSA and be built up later on. “It could be an outdoor pool for a while.”
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