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The City of Edmonton plans to permanently close the 65-year-old Scona Pool, which was closed on a temporary basis earlier in June after an equipment failure.

Gary Maier, director of River City Recreation Inc., the organization under contract to run the pool, confirmed the pool’s heat exchanger started leaking, but he refrained from calling it a system failure. In the latter case, according to Maier, the boiler system would have stopped working, and a pipe could have burst. He said a replacement worth $25,000 and $40,000 should take care of the faulty component.

According to CBC, the city’s report, however, revealed the need for a $6 million worth of renovation targeting the pool’s foundation and superstructure, walls and roof, interior finishes and fixtures, and mechanical and electrical systems. Maier maintained the pool was safe for swimming and in need of a few minor repairs only on its west wall, pointing out the mechanical system works well, and the boiler system has been inspected and re-commissioned to work.

Kim Clegg, director of planning and development with the Queen Alexandra Community League, said: “If we can just keep it hobbling along, everyone’s happy with that. No one expects it to be fancy like a new pool, but just make it so we can use it and keep it going until we get a new facility built in the area.”

Clegg added, he does not count on the substitute Rollie Miles facility to be built within the next five years, since it has so far only been able to gain funding for its design stage from the city.

Maier explained further there will be nearly 35 groups, including 14 schools which will be affected by the closure of the Scona Pool. The city presents three pools, the Bonnie Doon Leisure Centre, Confederation Leisure Centre, and Kinsmen Sports Centre as alternative facilities for Scona Pool. They lie within five kilometres (3.1 mi) or a 15-min drive away from the pool.

Elaine Solez, chair of Friends of Scona Rec, however, said getting to these pools for school groups and anyone without access to a vehicle would be hard.

“For seniors who don’t drive any longer, who count on that pool for their regular exercise, they’re going to be out of luck,” Solez said.

The city’s executive committee will discuss the report early next week.

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