Skip to content

Juan de Fuca pool to reopen in Colwood after 10-month shutdown for COVID

West Shore Parks and Recreation using federal/provincial restart funding to reopen facility
23665762_web1_201216-GNG-JDFpool-reopening-JuandeFucaPool_1
The Juan de Fuca pool opens up again Jan. 20, after being closed since last March due to ongoing public health restrictions due to the pandemic. (West Shore Parks and Recreation)

Staff and clientele of West Shore Parks and Recreation (WSPR) are looking ahead to the new year, anticipating the reopening of the Juan de Fuca pool in Colwood.

The facility, closed since March due to COVID-19 public health restrictions, is scheduled to open its doors to the public again on Jan. 20, with a safe, phased restart of pool activities. Users have already begun to make reservations for lane swimming, AquaFit classes and leisure swim sessions, which get underway at the pool between Jan. 20 and Jan. 31.

Signups for sessions that begin Feb. 1 will be available as of Jan. 13.

Swimming lessons begin Feb. 1 and include private, semi-private, family and small group classes, with modifications made to allow for physical distancing. Registration for lessons begins at 6 a.m. on Jan. 7.

“We’re very excited to reopen the pool,” Katherine Beck, WSPR aquatics and fitness co-ordinator, said in a release. “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.”

RELATED STORY: West Shore Parks and Rec surveys youth ahead of 2021 programs

Financial challenges associated with operating at smaller capacity under the ongoing public health restrictions kept the pool closed. Money made available through the Canada-B.C. Safe Restart Fund helped make the reopening a viable situation, said WSPR board chair Kyara Kahakauwila.

“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,” she said.

More information on the pool reopening and other WSPR program offerings for January through March can be found in the new Winter Activity Guide at westshorerecreation.ca. Schedules are subject to change without notice due to current public health guidelines.


 

Do you have a story tip? Email:don.descoteau@blackpress.ca. Follow us on Instagram.  Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

don.descoteau@blackpress.ca