Slade dips toe in Carbonear pool cancellations

By Mark Squibb

Carbonear Deputy Mayor Sam Slade has raised concerns about the town’s swimming pool being closed so often.

“Here lately I’ve been taking notice that the pool has been shut down a lot, and not due to the snow, but for other reasons that I’m not sure I understand,” said Slade at last week’s council meeting. “Is it an issue with equipment? Is it an issue with staff? I just don’t know.”

Town CAO Cynthia Davis said she wasn’t aware of any specific issues, but that it would be best to follow up with Director of Recreation Rob Button.

Slade said that in the last week or so numerous activities at the pool had been cancelled. Councillor Danielle Doyle concurred that she too had heard of events being canceled but couldn’t remember if they were weather-related or not.

Doyle added it’s important that the pool continue to notify the public of cancellations.

As to the cancellations, Doyle said sometimes things simply happen unexpectedly.

“For example, one time a child threw up in the pool, and the pool has to be cleared and sanitized and it takes a long time for things to get up and running and sometimes they don’t get a lot of notice, when things like that happen,” she explained.

Slade said he appreciates the work of pool workers and agreed that bringing the matter to the director’s attention was council’s best bet for getting to the bottom of the recent cancellations.

“I just took notice of it, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Is there something we could be doing to help it along?’” said Slade.

Councillor Malcolm Seymour, who chairs the recreation committee, said he would inquire about the cancellations at the next committee meeting, and then bring the matter back to council if need be.

Councillor Peter Snow allowed that if there is a problem at the pool, it must be recent, given that he drives past the facility regularly and the parking lot is often full — even when other businesses in town have shut due to weather.

“I say to myself how wonderful our staff is, because they could use (the weather) as an excuse to close it,” said Snow. “But I think our pool employees have gone beyond with regards to keeping the pool open.”