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Falher Regional Pool to be opening May 19
Emily Plihal
for Smoky River Express
Falher Regional Pool is opening their doors today for the recreational swimming season.
The pool officially opened today, with public swimming beginning at 3:15 p.m.
The schedule has been set for the summer, with lane swimming held on Tuesday and Thursdays from 6:45 until 8:30 a.m.
School lessons will be held Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. Public swim will be Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3:15 – 4:30 p.m., costing parents $4 for their children. Public swim will also be held on Friday from 3:15 – 6 p.m., Saturday from 1 – 4:30 p.m., and Sunday from 1–3 p.m.
Toonie swim is held on Tuesdays from 3:15–4:30 p.m.
Manatees Swim Club will occupy the pool Monday to Thursday from 4:30 – 7 p.m.
Swimming lessons will occur all week from 7–8:30 p.m.
Lane swim and aerobics will be Monday and Wednesday from 8:30–9:30 p.m. Adult swim and private lessons will be Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.
Pool rentals are available Friday from 8:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 1 p.m., Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Sunday from 6 to 7 p.m.
Family swim will take place on Sunday from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m., with admission set at $10.
Midnight swim will be held on June 18. Organizers hope swimmers will come out to swim until midnight in celebration of Honey Festival. Midnight swim will begin at 8 p.m. There will be no admission for the evening’s swim.
The pool will be closed on June 19.
Special events will be held throughout the summer, with notices provided throughout the summer.
As reported in last week’s Express, recent rumours of the Falher Regional Pool shutting down have been squelched by Falher Mayor Margaret Tardif.
She explains the town has been evaluating the costs associated with the operation of the pool, but there have been no movements to close the doors for good.
“We have been seriously looking at the costs of operating the pool,” says Tardif. “We experience a great deficit every year, and we’ve had to question how the pool is operated and where we can reduce the costs.”
The pool, she explains, is in constant need of repair and basic maintenance associated with running such an establishment.
“The figures we had before were based on salaries and costs from previous years,” says Tardif, explaining why the pool fees have increased over the past few years. “It is costing us a lot to run the programs, but the pool supervisor has found ways to cut the budget.”
The pool increased their school lesson fees to $80 per student last year. This includes 45 minutes of instruction for eight lessons. This year, the town has decided to lower this price back down to $64.
When comparing this fee to other communities, the cost is quite comparable. In southern Alberta, parents are paying upwards of $80 per term for 30 minute lessons.
“The pool supervisor will not be allowing instructors to work overtime this year,” says Tardif. “This year there are student lifeguards working who have agreed to work during their spare classes from school.”
Tardif reminds parents these school lessons are targeted at saving them money in the long run. The programs, she says, are an advantage to parents who live outside of town or are working in the community.
Parents will save money by not having to drive their children in for the lessons.
“The pool supervisor has found ways to reduce the operation costs for the months of May and June,” says Tardif.
“This has allowed us to offer the lessons at a lesser cost during school hours.”
Other programs offered this year will include two-toonie swim on school days (which has been reduced from $5.50 per swimmer), Toonie Tuesday may make an appearance on the agenda, Family Swim on Sundays, and various other programs to be announced later this month.
The town has also agreed to allow the adult punch card to be utilized for water aerobics and lane swim this year.
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