Sackville Sports Stadium pool closure displaces competitive swimmers

Competitive swimmers displaced by a fire at the Sackville Sports Stadium are struggling to keep up with their training schedules, the team's president says. 

Kevin Doucette, president of the Sackville Waves Aquatic Team, said the group of 72 swimmers between the ages of eight and 19 has been practising at the Centennial Pool in Halifax and the East Hants Swimming Pool in Milford since the Oct. 24 fire. 

The pool in Sackville won't reopen until Jan. 2 due to work to repair the fire damage, the municipality said.

Finding practice times at other pools and getting there is proving challenging, Doucette said. Even with carpooling, driving into Halifax or to East Hants can be difficult to manage for many families, he said. 

Late-night lane rentals

"All the pool time has been basically late at night. So some of these kids, 10, 11 years old, are not getting home till 10:30 at night. It's tough when you have school the next day. It's tough on the parents when you've got to drive there," he said. 

Doucette's daughter is one of five swimmers who is on the Canada Games core team, training to represent Nova Scotia at next year's summer games. He said losing practice time is putting them at a training disadvantage. 

City spokeswoman Tiffany Chase said people and groups received full refunds, or credit for lost time that they can use when the pool reopens. The municipality said it has tried to help community groups and teams find swim times. 

But Doucette said his team is now spending money renting lanes at the other pools and paying coaches. He said being part of the team costs between $200 and $300 a month per child, and parents aren't getting the same value for money because they often can't make the practice times. 

"It's eating at them," he said. "Where we're getting the pool time is costing us more. But it basically comes down to a lot of them can't get there."

Parents seeking refunds

Parents have been lobbying for some type of compensation, Doucette said, but he doesn't believe the team can afford it and suggests the city should step in. 

Adding to the challenges, the Centennial Pool in Halifax is scheduled to close between Dec. 5 and Dec. 18. He also questions why other pools within the Halifax Regional Municipality haven't been more accommodating. 

Chase said more than 1,600 people have been affected by the Sackville pool closure, from those registered for swimming lessons or aquatics programs to community groups and swim teams. 

"We have done the very best to find alternative locations at our municipally owned or operated facilities," Chase said. "The demand is high right now at all of those facilities and we do regret the inconvenience, but it certainly is a situation that is beyond our control." 

The municipality is hoping an insurance claim with help recoup lost revenue and the cost of repairing the facility.