WESTLOCK – Following a busted waterline valve that flooded the basement of the Westlock Aquatic Centre July 10, the facility is slated to reopen this coming week, with the 24-hour gym on track to be operational July 19 and the pool good to go by July 22.
Town of Westlock CAO Simone Wiley said July 14 that they don’t have a cost estimate for the damage at the facility but didn’t rule out an insurance claim “as that’s an avenue we may explore” following the flood that damaged boilers, pumps, and motors in the basement.
Over eight hours Sunday, crews assessed the damage and were forced to drain the pool due to health regulations. In a July 13 release, the town notes they’ve “replaced and repaired all that was damaged and are now moving to systems testing.” When that is done, the pool will be refilled, which Wiley said, “takes about two, to two-and-a-half days” and will then be followed by chemical balancing and temperature adjustments.
Ultimately, Wiley said as soon as they can get hot water back into the building, they can open the 24-hour gym — the release notes that the steam room will not be operational initially. The town has confirmed that pool passes have been placed on hold for the duration of the closure so residents will not lose time they’ve paid for.
While Wiley said the water alarms in the basement did their job and alerted staff in the early-morning hours of July 10 as it “could have been a lot worse” she admitted that checking the waterline valves “might be something we can build into a maintenance check.”
“We are doing very regular maintenance checks on the building, so maybe it’s a matter of being a bit more conscious of and checking on those valves more regularly,” she said.
“But the staff responded exactly as they needed to and did a fantastic job in getting the water pumped out and assessing the damage on a Sunday.”
Gators beached
The Westlock Gators annual swim meet slated for July 16, the first in three years due to COVID-19 restrictions, was one of several events that have been cancelled due to the untimely closure — the Westlock and District FCSS July 22 Teen Swim Night was also shelved along with two youth summer programs that have been re-worked to take place at the RSC.
Another impact of the closure is being felt in swim lessons and the pool’s Bronze Cross and National Lifeguard courses with the town adjusting its schedule to accommodate the program. The programs, which were unable to run during 2020 and 2021, are pre-requisites to lifeguard certification with the town stating, “it is critical we complete this set.”
Gators swim club president Anna Hebert said July 14 they were disappointed by the news, but understand the closure was out of everyone’s control. Swim meets are set months in advance, so simply moving the Gators event to the following weekend isn’t an option — the local meet was one of five the club had planned to participate in 2022.
“Everyone was looking forward to this meet because it was our first home one in three years. As a parent and a volunteer, we put in a ton of work and hours upon hours to get it going — especially with the three years between meets. So, it’s disappointing, but it is what it is,” said Hebert.
“Myself personally I worked in pools for many, many years, so when it goes down there’s not much you can do. They have to make it safe for the swimmers, so (opening early after the flood) just isn’t an option.”
And although the Westlock event won’t happen, the Gators, made up of 30 swimmers ages seven to 18, will take in two more meets before the regionals and provincials in early August — so far, the club has competed in a pair of meets this summer.
Hebert concluded by giving props to the Westlock Family Tae Kwon Do Club for offering its facility to the club for dryland training, while for this coming week the Barrhead Regional Aquatic Centre “have been fantastic” and opened their doors to the club for training.
“We’re had a lot of support from the community and the surrounding communities to help us continue our training. It’s been appreciated,” she said.
