As community interest in saving Wolfville pool rises, university says repair costs have doubled

Acadia University says the cost to fix its aging pool in Wolfville, N.S., is roughly twice what it thought a week ago and would require shutting the pool down for two years to complete repairs.

The school announced last week it would permanently close the pool on June 15 and discontinue Acadia's varsity swim program starting next season after a consultant's report last November concluded fixing the 60-year-old facility would cost $3 million to $4 million.

Acadia president and vice-chancellor Jeff Hennessy said Sunday that the university went back to DEI Consulting Engineers to ask for another inspection after seeing the community reaction to the closure announcement.

The second inspection estimated that the cost of renovations was $5 million to $7 million, he said.

But Hennessy said even if the university had the funds, keeping the pool open would be an "irresponsible thing to do." He said the engineering firm ultimately advised against pursuing that because salt in the pool is corroding the pipes, which could become a safety hazard.

"There's some structural issues with the building that could be exacerbated if we kept the pool open any longer," he said.

The initial consultant's report noted the pool has been leaking and required major repairs, including new tiles. It also said mechanical systems like filtration and HVAC were at the end of their life.

Committee sends letter to university

Adam Deutsch, an alumnus and former member of the varsity swim team, said after hearing the news, he got together with other alumni, members of the Wolfville Tritons swim club, the captains of the university's men's and women's swim teams and the head coach of Swim Nova Scotia.

They sent a letter to Acadia to ask what is necessary — financially or otherwise — "to maintain the strength, vitality, and continued growth of the swim community in the Valley."

"The pool is old. The pool is at the end of its life. No one's going to deny that or argue that," said Deutsch. "I think there is enough support in the alumni community, enough support at a municipal and a provincial level of government to find that money."

Deutsch said closing the pool would be a big loss for the community, as it hosts different community programs and recreational and competitive teams.

Waiting 'would have been dishonest'

Hennessy said the university told swim team members about the pool closure on Feb. 9, the Sunday before midterm week.

He said while the timing was unfortunate, he thinks waiting "would have been dishonest to students applying to Acadia and dishonest to our own students."

Hennessy said it was important to give students ample time to decide whether they want to remain at Acadia or transfer to another university if they want to continue swimming competitively.

But Mark Thompson, the father of a second-year student on the swim team, said the university should have been more transparent and communicated even sooner. 

"The administration told them and then essentially walked out of the room without any support for the kids, without any consciousness of the impact of what they have just told those kids," he said.

Thompson said while the university said it would honour scholarship and bursary commitments, many of the students on the team chose Acadia over other institutions because of its swim team.

He said some parents have submitted a freedom-of-information request to the university to learn more about its financial records.