Strategic plan drafted for future of Portage Pool

Lac La Biche County officials have drafted an Aquatic Services Strategic Plan to ensure Portage Pool doesn’ t get left high and dry in the years to come.

The local facility is now 22 years old and the County has leased it from Portage College since 2009. The pool has faced some recent challenges with closures and limited hours of operation, as well as staffing and program delivery, so now is a good time to chart a course for the future, County staffers say.

Aquatic services coordinator Katie Crysdale presented the drafted plan to County Council on June 2. The plan hasn’ t been formally approved yet, but councillors had an opportunity to provide feedback.

The plan lists four major goals to work towards in the next five years, including creating a “self-sustaining facility with quality staffing,” increasing public access and restoring “public trust and pride in aquatic services.”

The plan references the fact that the pool’ s operational woes have led to some “ill will” in the community, but it also highlights the high usage levels at the facility.

“In spite of the large variety of outdoor activities available in Lac La Biche County, residents are extremely passionate about their community swimming pool,” the document reads. “It is not uncommon for 80+ patrons to attend a week night Open Swim...or 200+ patrons to come through the doors for swimming lessons and the Open Swim on a Saturday. Usage is consistent throughout the year, including the summer months, decreasing significantly only over statutory holidays and school breaks.”

One of the most significant goals of the plan is making the facility as accessible to as many people as safely possible, as often as safely possible, Crysdale says.

There’ s a high demand for aquatic services, but the pool has faced staffing shortages that have got in the way of service delivery in the last few years. The strategic plan includes objectives for boosting staff levels, such as liaising with local schools to get young people interested and involved.

Even as service demand reaches new high-water marks, the facility’ s age needs to be taken into account, Crysdale says. Portage Pool’ s 25^th anniversary will be in 2018. Public pools and other aquatic facilities do have lifespans, she says.

For the time being, the County is in a strong position to maintain the facility for the next several years, says municipal recreation manager Staci Lattimer, although it does have some small drawbacks. For example, the pool can’ t be a venue for competitive swim meets.

“It’ s a few centimetres shy of meeting the (length) standards for competitions,” she said.

The County’ s facilities manager Gary Harman agrees that the pool is suitable for continued use, but it will likely need some TLC in the years ahead, he says.

“It is running well now and we are maintaining it,” said Harman.

The Aquatic Services Strategic Plan should be brought forward for approval at a later Council meeting.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story misspelled Mr. Harman's name as Gary Harmon. The POST apologizes for the error.