Calgary council votes to keep dilapidated Inglewood pool afloat for now

Calgary city council reversed its decision to close theInglewood Aquatic Centre Friday.

Councilvoted 12-3 in favour ofreconsidering the pool'sclosure,previously setforDec. 22.

Couns.Jennifer Wyness, Raj Dhaliwal and Evan Spencer votedto keep the pool closed.

The aquatic centre has been described previously as being "miles from great shape,""falling apart" anda "bag of bricks" that needed to be shut down because ofmajor issues with the building's electrical systemand its age.

The Inglewood Aquatic Centre was built in the 1960s, andthecity saysit has exceeded its expected lifespan by more than 20 years already.

Costs forrepairs were originally estimated around$600,000 and would have required the building to close forthree months. There is alsoa chance that further problems with the building would be discovered.

Council capped the amount of money they would spend to keep the facilityrunning at $400,000 and councillors heard Thursdaythat between $100,000 to $150,000 worth of repairs would be needed immediately to keep the facility open.

City council voted to close the pool in 2019 as part of a larger budget reduction, citing unsustainable long-term operatingcosts and low usage.

In 2021, residents convinced the city to keep the aquatic centre goinguntil construction work to expand the MNP Community and Sport Centre was finished.That workbegan in September,andis expected to finish in late 2026.

In October, council also voted againto shut the facility down, a decision that wasreversed Friday.

Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabotsaid with the MNPexpansion still years away from completion, Calgary doesn't have many pools, and keeping Inglewood's open will give people more options to swim.

He clarified, however,the city still intends to shut the pool down eventually.

"Essentially, we've just given it a little bit of a extra lifeblood, so to speak," Chabot said.

"There's no life safety issues associated with the pool. And for a nominal investment, we can keep this placein operation at least until MNP comes into into operation."

When asked about the possibility of keeping the pool open after the MNP centre is fully functioning, Chabotwasn't sure.

"As you know, the city is looking at more regional-type facilities that have a multitude of different services. This is a single-purpose type facility," he said.

"I'm not sure if they're going to have as much success with trying to retain that site or that facility in perpetuity."

He added if Inglewood residents did succeed in convincing council to build a new facility on the land, it would likely take the form of a rec centre that also has a pool.

Changing fate

Fiona McKenzie, anInglewood resident and one of the organizers of several ralliesto keepthe pool open, said she is thrilled council changed itsmind about closing it down for good in December.

"This is for not just Inglewood, but for the city," McKenzie said. "It's great that the city is thinking about larger recreational centres. They're needed too. But we need the small flat water pools just for seniors, for people with disabilities, for families, for low-income families."

If council's decision simply delays the pool'spermanent closure by a couple of years, McKenzie said it still makes the community very happy to hold onto their aquatic centre for a bit longer.

"I think we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," she said. "When we get more density, maybe it'll be a different conversation. But I think, for now, we're taking the win."

McKenzie said she and her grouphave had manysleepless nights organizing andadvocating to keep the pool open, but it proves to them that it's possible to effect change with hard work and determination.

"Keep fighting if there's something you believe in," she said.

Inglewood resident Marina Ortman echoed McKenzie, saying council chose to keep the pool openbecause the community didn't give up.

"I come from Russia and the one thing that I learned is not giving up," she said."You have to know the truth and you gotta get at it."

Ortman added the Inglewood community is organizing a party on Dec. 22 to celebrate the pool's perseverance.