Correction: Pool planning on par
By Kyra Hoggan
Photo: Recreation manager Jim Crockett
The Source reported, on Wednesday, that recreation commission official Russ Hearne acknowledged a lack of collaboration as a factor in all three tri-city indoor swimming pools (Castlegar, Nelson and Trail) being shut down for annual maintenance at the same time.
Subsequent interviews with recreation staff (namely, recreation manager Jim Crockett) have revealed that said collaboration did take place, but at the staff level, without rec commission involvement.
“This is a major shut-down that has been planned for over a year now,” Crockett explained. “We had several calls with Trail and Nelson (aquatic centre staff) to coordinate (the closures), but our first priority was to coordinate with our own work-force – and each facility was in the same situation.”
He said dates can’t just be chosen randomly for these sorts of closures – factors include programming schedules, maintenance requirements, staff availability and so forth. Furthermore, all three pools aim to close at the year’s slowest time, to ensure the least level of inconvenience for their patrons.
“We all discussed it, but for a whole variety of reasons, we couldn’t schedule it any other way,” Crockett said.
He added that there was no way Hearne could’ve realized those discussion had taken place, since on-going dialogue between Castlegar’s recreation department and those of other communities as far away as Cranbrook is routine, to share best practices, collaborate on problem-solving, and more. As simply one of many facets of day-to-day operations, this dialogue was not the kind of thing Crockett would report, as a matter of course, to Hearne or the rec commission as whole – hence the misunderstanding in the previous article.
The Source would like to offer its apologies for any negative impression left by its previous, incomplete report.
The Castlegar aquatic centre is scheduled to re-open Sept. 18.
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