SUNDRE — Albeit with pandemic protocols in place, the Aquaplex’s indoor fitness centre reopened yesterday.
However, a date for the reopening of the indoor pool had not yet been determined, said Chris Craig, the Sundre & District Aquatic Society’s new president.
“The COVID stuff’s challenging. But so far, our tentative opening is Monday (July 20) morning, as long we don’t have any big changes come up this weekend,” Craig said Friday during an interview.
“We’re just opening the gym for now, just because the pool is a lot more complicated,” he said, adding the safety guidelines are essentially the same as those put in place at Olds College.
“So, we’re open for an hour and a half, and then you’re closed for an hour for complete cleaning from top to bottom, and then the next session comes in,” he explained.
Furthermore, the number of patrons allowed inside to use the fitness centre will be limited to five at a time since the facility is fairly small, he said.
The most that were usually in the gym at any given time prior to the pandemic was about 20, but the typical average amount was closer to upwards of 10 people, he said.
Asked about the hurdles that need to be surmounted before reopening the pool, he said the COVID-19 guidelines are a lot harder to accommodate.
“You can’t use change rooms, and you can’t really shower. So you got to come dressed in your swim suit, swim, and then you got to basically get out and leave in your swimsuit. So, it’s not ideal for a lot of people,” he said.
And since the pool is also small, he said only a few people at a time would be allowed in for a lane swim.
“Financially, to pay the lifeguards to be there to have three people swimming at the moment is kind of a wash. So, we’re going to use the time for some maintenance and see how the gym goes, and then we’ll move forward with the pool.”
The society held its annual general meeting on July 8, when an entirely new board was elected.
The new executive is Craig, president; Tom Smith, vice-president; Tierra Peterson, treasurer; and Joelee Jansen, secretary. The directors at large are: Matt Sewart, Justin Johnson, Travis Storey, Marc Doucette, Robin Tudor, Jacey Villeneuve, Ed Morgan, and Bob Hillock. Craig said it's the largest board the society has ever had.
Following the AGM, the new board held a couple of meetings to get to know one another a bit more, as well as to conduct a “behind the scenes" facility walkthrough for those who weren’t familiar with how the pool and fitness centre operate.
Craig said moving forward will just be a matter of taking one step at a time.
“We’re just excited to get our facility back open, and have people back enjoying our gym at this point.”
