Children enjoying the outdoor pool in Bridgewater. Photo: Town of Bridgewater
The Town of Bridgewater voted this week that the O’Regan’s Subaru Outdoor Pool will not be opening as there were too many unanswered questions surrounding health protocols.
Mayor David Mitchell says aside from the limit of ten people gathering they were unsure how that will be enforced in regards to pool.
Mitchell said, “We don’t know if it would be ten in the pool, ten in the facility or what, then there is the issue of staff and cleaning protocols which will take time to train and implement.”
The town had made plans in hopes of opening the pool but they had identified June 8 as the deadline to make a decision. As of June 8 there were no major updates on upcoming easing of restrictions so Town Council voted in favor of shuttering the pool for the season.
Outdoor pools were identified as something to be opened in phase three of reopening the province which will not happen until there has been at least 28 days without a positive test.
Mitchell stressed that this was not something they wanted to do but rather had to do, “Lots of people don’t have any other means to cool off so we were really hoping this wouldn’t have to happen.”
The pool’s closure will save the town money as it does not turn a profit but Mitchell says it’s widely accepted that the pool’s value to the community far exceeds its expenses.
He says staff is working on alternate plans to help people cool off this summer but they are not ready to be made public at this time.
The LCLC will likely be opening at some point this summer as Mitchell says indoor pools are categorized differently than outdoor ones and will have different health protocols to follow.
