Salmo area residents won’t be able to jump in the swimming pool until July. The community’s outdoor pool will be closed all of this month for major renovations.
The Regional District of Central Kootenay, which owns and manages the facility, says work on the mechanical room has begun and will take about six weeks.
The overhaul includes installing two new high efficiency boilers, an additional sand filter, new plumbing, and a new chemical feeding system. North Mountain Construction and KB Plumbing are the contractorst.
“These improvements are critical to ensuring the long term viability of the Salmo pool, which is an important community facility during the summer,” Salmo mayor Diana Lockwood, who is also RDCK board vice-chair and recreation commission chair, said in a news release.
“This project keeps the swimming pool operational for recreational use, as well as maintaining its status as the hub to learn valuable water safety skills.”
The RDCK said the previous mechanical system is at the end of its life and the upgrade will improve safety for staff working in the mechanical room. The pool itself will have improved overall circulation and increased filtration, resulting in cleaner water. The pool will still use chlorine-based disinfection. Under the Public Health Act, all public pools must have residual chlorine in the water.
In February 2021, the RDCK received an assessment of the pool from Cover Architectural Collaborative, Rocky Point engineering and Master Pools, which included multiple phases of work. This current work will complete the pool mechanical upgrade identified in the plan’s first phase. This phase will also include, as funding becomes available, the pool basin, decks and drains replacement/upgrades. The second phase is the renovation of the existing change rooms.
Originally scheduled to open June 4, the pool will now be closed all month. Opening day is subject to mechanical equipment availability and is tentatively scheduled for early July. Information on swimming lessons this summer at the Salmo pool will be released mid-June.
This project is funded by Columbia Basin Trust, the Village of Salmo, Electoral Area G grants, Salmo Valley Swimming Pool Society, and the RDCK Salmo and Area G Recreation Services.
