Silver Springs outdoor dive pool to reopen June 16
Tricia Lo | CBC News | Posted: June 8, 2018 8:44 PM | Last Updated: June 8, 2018
New features include accessibility ramp at shallow end of popular Calgary facility
A well-loved outdoor community dive pool is scheduled to reopen in northwest Calgary this month, after more than two years of construction delays and repairs.
The Silver Springs Pool, complete with a deep end for diving, should be open to the public as early as June 16, pending a few last inspections.
The newly renovated, 33-metre-long basin includes five lanes for swimming and features a one-metre springboard and a three-metre platform.
An accessibility ramp has also been added at the shallow end of the pool to make entry and exit easier for people with reduced mobility.
Staff are conducting preliminary testing this week to identify blind spots and the best vantage points for lifeguards before opening the basin to the public, said pool manager Olivia Graham.
Pool programs
The facility will host Red Cross swim lessons and deep water workouts throughout the summer, according to the Silver Springs Community Association website.
The facility will also begin taking private bookings on June 19. It will be available for rentals on evenings, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., as well as weekends, from 9 a.m. to noon.
2-year dry spell
The outdoor pool with dive tank had been a well-loved fixture in the community since 1974, but the facility was in dire need of repairs.
When community members discovered in 2013 that the city did not intend to repair the original dive tank, neighbourhood activists rallied to raise money and managed to preserve some diving features in the redesign.
The facility shut down in the fall 2015 for renovations.
Construction was supposed to be completed in time for the pool to reopen last summer, but groundwater seepage into the pool's basin caused major delays.