Not having access to the Brennan Park Aquatic Centre is having a big impact on lots of folks in town.
On Feb. 12, the District of Squamish announced that a safety inspection by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) determined that the pool deck did not meet the required anti-slip standards for wet surfaces. The health authority therefore ordered an immediate pool closure until further notice "as a health and safety precaution."
Before that, on Jan. 17, the municipality announced that the steam room at the pool was closed following a report that a patron had slipped.
At the time, the District said it was conducting an assessment of the slip-resistance of the tiled surfaces within the steam room and pool area. Vancouver Coastal Health was said to be advising staff through this process.
The tiled surfaces are original from 1992.
The muni has said the closure will last at least a month.
“There are a number of factors that will determine the timeline for re-opening. Staff continue to work through corrective options and will have a better understanding of the re-opening timeline as we near final approval by Vancouver Coastal Health,” said District spokesperson Rachel Boguski, in an email to The Squamish Chief on Feb. 28.
“This is our top priority and we are working closely with Vancouver Coastal Health, consultants, and contractors to plan, identify and implement the optimal solution that will give us the best chance to re-open the pool as quickly and safely as possible,” she added.
Out of the pool
The District says approximately 582 people were impacted by swimming lesson cancellations, as a result of the closure.
And the closure has already had an outsized impact on local swim teams.
For the Squamish Titans Athletic Club it means about 100 members sidelined, said president Rod Castellanos.
"Some of them are quite competitive, and as they're getting ready for a race season that's coming up, they're looking for alternatives," he said, adding that he also has two kids who are members of the Squamish Pirates Swim Club.
"So, we're doing double duty in trying to find pools," he said.
Titans are co-ordinating carpooling to Whistler or West Vancouver for pool time.
Castellanos has also been to the Vancouver Aquatic Centre.
He said it is a lot of driving and inconvenience for many, noting this closure is on top of the month the pool is closed each fall for maintenance.
Not all families can invest the time and money to drive hours to swim, he said, therefore some folks are just not swimming.
Pool time is a hot commodity at the best of times. The Titans have 40 swimmers on a waitlist to be members, but there just isn’t the capacity with the pool to add more members, according to Castellanos.
A competitive swimmer since he was eight years old, he also does not think Squamish had a particularly slippery deck.
"I'm going to assume, though, that people fall all the time on a pool deck. I've seen people fall, whether it's that they don't have the strength in their legs or back footing, or they're rushing or whatever it is, and that's fair enough, but I've never heard of a facility being closed down after and all I'm being told is that a single individual had complained about falling. So I'm still a little confused about how this all happened."
He's also frustrated by what he says is a lack of concrete information.
"It's pretty frustrating all around, especially since we don't have any information about what's coming next," he said.
Pirates
Shannon Clegg, Squamish Pirates president, said that the closure of Brennan Park pool could potentially have a large impact on the club.
She noted it is a non-profit organization with 145 registered swimmers annually.
Swimmers aged four to 17 participate in BC Summer Swimming Association (BCSSA) and Swim BC programming.
"We have preschoolers all the way up to senior provincial athletes," she said, in an email to The Squamish Chief.
Presently, the club needs to support the Swim BC side of the Pirates program.
They have 12 swimmers heading to BC Swim Provincials next week who need to be training to compete with the province's best swimmers.
"Surrounding clubs like Whistler Sea Wolves and Hollyburn Country Club have been hosting us but our numbers impact their lane times as well," she said. “We are grateful for our swim community's support to get us through this challenge."
Clegg said that the greatest threat to the Pirates program is coach retention. The club employs between eight and 15 swim coaches throughout the year.
"There are not too many swim coaches hanging around Squamish. Without coaches, we have no swim club," she said.
"The longer this closure goes, the greater the impact on the club financially and structurally. We have high school students pursuing scholarships, coaches who have to make a living and volunteers who are working tirelessly to support this community."
She added that Squamish Pirates are set to host its annual swim meet and Vancouver District Regional Championships this spring and summer.
"We urge our local government, Vancouver Coastal Health and Brennan Park to please work together quickly to find a short-term solution."
Pirates head coach Kelly Kaye says she aims to stay positive with her swimmers when faced with adversity like the closure.
The Pirates have 12 swimmers who are heading to provincials in a week.
“I haven't really been sending a message that this is challenging. I've been sending a message to my swimmers, that this is something to embrace and we get to learn about ourselves and learn how to be flexible, mentally flexible, emotionally flexible. Through that, we get to foster more friendships with our competitors. So that's what we're focusing on,” Kaye said.
The reality is, though, that swimmers and coaches are on the road to find pool time in neighbouring communities multiple times per week.
“It's a good thing that my problem is that I have to find them somewhere to swim. I don't have to convince them to come swim. They're so keen and so committed and dedicated,” she said.
Kaye’s bigger worry is what happens next.
“I'm very concerned that we could lose our summer part of our programming if this isn't solved soon,” she said.
The summer program begins in May, which means hiring of coaches and registrations need to start in March.
Like others spoken to for this story, Kaye says having more information about what is happening is needed.
“Just a little bit more clarity of where they're at,” she said.
‘Fingers crossed’
Jen Brown, communications spokesperson and adaptive sports coach with the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program Society echoed others' statements.
"Thanks to our long-running partnership with Brennan Park Recreation Centre, Whistler Adaptive Sports Program offers adaptive swimming lessons held during public swim times throughout the year," she said.
"Our current 12-week winter program that delivers five kids' lessons per week has been impacted by the pool’s closure, and we are in the process of liaising with our partners at Meadowpark in Whistler to extend lessons," she added.
"However, we are aware that travel times to Whistler may be prohibitive for our families, particularly given the shorter duration of swim lessons, so we are considering outreach to private facilities as we await further details from Brennan Park about re-opening.”
She said the program will seek to extend its winter program into April to make up for the missed sessions—coaching schedules permitting—once the facility is back in use.
"Fingers crossed this all gets resolved soon," she said.
Health and well-being
Louisa Jardine-Ourom uses the pool often, about four times per week.
"I have done aqua fit. I have done hydrotherapy," she said. "I am one of the semi-injured people who have been, unfortunately, for a long time.”
She calls the pool her “go-to."
She showed up along with some other folks, at the Feb. 19, Mayor’s Drop-In to discuss the pool closure.
According to the District, approximately 25 residents attended that event.
“The pool closure was discussed at length, although there were additional topics of conversation brought forward by those who attended,” said Boguski.
Jardine-Ourom said because she is retired, she can go to other pools in neighbouring communities, but she worries about those who can't travel.
"There are people who go to the hydrotherapy, who do not have cars. They are [physically] challenged," she said.
She added that the closure reminds her of during COVID-19 restrictions when people were kept from the things that keep them healthy, mentally and physically.
Her suggestion for the municipality is that they hire a driver and use the bus out of The 55 Activity Centre to drive people to neighbouring pools.
"It shouldn't be up to us to have to organize this,” she said.
Regarding this idea, Boguski told The Squamish Chief that muni staff are “exploring if there are potential practical options to support the community during the pool closure.”
Heather-Lee Donaldson told The Squamish Chief she has used the pool facility for 25 years.
“Keeping people safe means considering all aspects of health. For many, the Brennan Park Pool is essential for socialization, relaxation, and therapeutic exercise—especially those with physical, mental, or social challenges,” she said.
“If patrons can safely navigate icy streets to get there, and would undoubtedly be wearing non-slip footwear for the outside conditions, the risk of slipping inside is minimal. I’m 65, use the facility several times a week and have never slipped and fallen, nor have I seen anyone slip and fall anywhere in the facility.”
On top of the month-long closure in the fall, this closure is especially hard, she added.
“Shutting down for a second month or more over the six months of inclement weather is more than a minor inconvenience. It does more harm than good, depriving the community of an important resource when it’s needed most, and the staff who are laid off are no doubt being deprived of their income.”
The District says that regular shutdown tasks are currently underway, according to the municipality, and this may help reduce the time the pool is down in September.
The District confirmed that 18 employees have been laid off as a result of the pool closure.
The Squamish Chief received other messages from folks, particularly seniors, about the pool users' health and well-being impacted by the closure.
For example, we heard from folks for whom aquafit at the pool was their prescribed treatment. Without the facility, they are left to travel or find alternative recovery methods that weren’t prescribed.
The District’s Boguski said the municipality understands the impact this closure is having.
“We thank the community for their ongoing patience while we work to resolve these issues. We have heard feedback and concerns from our patrons and user groups regarding the impacts of the closure, and we are doing our best to respond to and provide updates as the work evolves.”
“A list of Frequently Asked Questions has been developed in response to community questions and concerns. We will continue to update this on an ongoing basis.”
