St. Vital swimming pool reopens after $3M makeover plagued by delays

Winnipeggers seeking a new place to cool down this summer can check out the St. Vital outdoor swimming pool, which is open again after a $3-million makeover took longer than expected.

St. Vital Coun. Brian Mayes was joined by two of his predecessors, Al Golden and Gord Steeves, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday to open the revamped St. Vital Outdoor Pool at 5 Des Meurons St.

It will be open to the public on Thursday. As part of the grand reopening, visitors can enjoy free admission until Sunday.

"It's later than we would've liked, but I'm very glad we finally got it open," Mayes said. "I've gotten some grey hairs waitingfor this thing to open, but it's a big improvement."

When the city announced plans to renovate the decades-old swimming pool in November 2013, the initial goal was to have the work done by the fall of 2014.

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But several issues were identified along the way that delayed the reopening, including concerns about the slope of the pool tank and problems with some of the electrical work.

"This was an old pool it was built almost 50 years ago and there were a lot of renovations that needed to be done. It took longer than we expected, but we did come in on budget," Mayes said.

The new pool, which is now heated, offers:

• An accessible beach entry area (a gradual slope into the water).
• Eight new splash features.
• A new change room building with accessible change areas.
• New pathways, pool decking, fencing and landscaping.
• A new play structure and swings at the on-site playground.
• New bike racks and a connection to theFermorAvenue active transportation pathway.

In addition to the $3 million allocated from the 2012 city capital budget for the pool, $150,000 from the Parks and Recreation Enhancement Program was spent on a new play structure.

Mayes thanked Golden and Steeves for fighting to keep the pool open when they were in office.