The Indian Head outdoor swimming pool is getting a makeover that will improve its accessibility and incorporate new features.
The existing pool opened in 1982 and the basin is nearing the end of its lifespan. Although a liner could be added to temporarily increase the current basin’s longevity, grant funding became available to provide for a more long-term solution.
In 2020, the town applied for funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) and the $1.76 million pool replacement project was approved in March 2021. The ICIP is a cost-sharing program through which the town will receive $704,813 from the federal government and $587,285 from the Saskatchewan government. The Town of Indian Head has included the remaining $469,934 in its budget. The high cost of constructing and maintaining an indoor pool are not feasible for the town so it will continue to have an outdoor facility.
Although funding was approved in 2021, the town opted not to begin demolition last fall because component delivery delays would have prevented the pool from opening this summer. Instead, the facility operated from June until August 13, with demolition scheduled to start within the next two weeks. Paradise Pools has been contracted for the project and, weather permitting, the majority of the work will be completed this fall so that the new facility can open for at least part of summer 2023.
The project will include installation of all new mechanical and plumbing equipment, as well as a reconfigured layout. The current footprint will be mostly maintained but, after consulting residents and lifeguards, town officials determined that it would be valuable to incorporate a beach-entry into the newly designed pool. The shallow area will be located along the north side of the pool with the beach-entry starting on the east side and extending toward the west end of the pool.
“It will change so much for kids’ lessons and for seniors getting in and out of the pool – it just makes it so much more accessible,” said Meagan McEwen, Indian Head’s Community Development Officer.
She noted that participation in the town’s swim lesson program has doubled since the pandemic and the new pool will allow for even further expansion.
“It’s exciting times for the pool,” McEwen commented. “There’s so much potential; I’m excited for what this new pool will do.”
The south half of the pool will feature five, 25-meter lanes with a three-foot depth on the east that increases to its deepest point on the west side. A diving board will be installed at the west side of the pool’s deep end. Dividing walls will create an aquatic pathway between the shallow and deep areas of the pool.
The new design also features a slide to the west of the pool. It includes a runoff tunnel at the bottom, facing south, and does not dump into the pool. This design was chosen to make the slide accessible to a wider age range of swimmers. Staffing is also simplified because only one lifeguard is required to supervise a runoff slide, but two are needed (one at the top and one at the bottom) for a slide that leads into a pool.
Seating will likely be eliminated from the north and south sides of the pool, but lounge space will be included on the west end of the pool. Details for this design aspect are still in progress. Upgrades to the pool house are not included in the scope of the current project but the town has plans to address such needs in the future.
