Annual maintenance at the city-owned Crystal Pool is taking longer than expected after crews discovered broken concrete slabs underneath the aging facility’s change rooms.
The pool is now slated to reopen Sept. 30, said Kate Friars, director of recreation.
“Contractors were experiencing delays and could not be confident to have the pool ready for tomorrow (Sept. 24),” she said.
Construction crews are working to replace the changroom floors, tiling and toilet connections and will also re-install washroom partitions, Friars said.
Lawn work at Royal Athletic Park is also being delayed as a result of heavy rain, Friars said. The park’s grass was turned into a mud pit after the Great Canadian Beer Festival and Rifflandia music festival experienced wet days.
“As soon as we can get in there when it dries up, we’ll fill in the soccer playing areas and returf,” she said. “But our dates keep getting pushed back.”
Sports teams, who normally use the facility until mid-November, have all been located to other outdoor fields, Friars said.
During this extended closure, all passes (one month, three month and annual) will be accepted at the following facilities:• Recreation Oak Bay• Pearkes Recreation Centre• Cedar Hill Recreation Centre• Gordon Head Recreation Centre• Saanich Commonwealth Place (*Pool closed September 3 – 15)• Esquimalt Recreation Centre • Panorama Recreation Centre (*Pool closed September 3 – 15)• Westshore Recreation• YMCA-YWCA
