Friends of West Park Pool:

There is still life in the effort to keep West Park Pool open.  About two weeks ago our group held a meeting that marked a transition from the effort to keep the pool a municipal pool, to a new effort to take the pool private under the leadership of Christine Arsenault.  You will know that city council pretty much closed the door on us, apart from being willing to talk about alternative directions.  We waited some time, with some hope that government funds could be found, but this did not materialize.

The new direction would see the pool leased from the city and privately run, providing both access to the community for swimming, lessons, and training for competitive swimmers and Tri-Sport athletes.

There is much work involved in establishing the corporate definition and direction for this.  Our current information is that the city plans to open the new pool in May and hold a “Grand Opening” sometime mid-June.   It seems unlikely that we can avoid a period of closure for West Park pool. Meaning that the pool may be closed temporarily while we raise funds and design programs that can operate successfully.

We recently did a walk through of the pool with various contractors and pool experts with positive results.  Immediate updates are a lot less than initially expected however some work does need to be completed.

SAVE WEST PARK SCHOOL

It would seem the cause will be more complicated if West Park school were to close.   Given recent announcement that make that a stronger possibility, I would encourage you to go to FACE BOOK and look for  “West Park Secondary – Save Our School” and join this group’s actions to keep the school open.

As you may be aware, council gave us time to work with staff, but no money to succeed.   At the moment, Councillor Harris is putting together a team of volunteer local business people to do an assessment of various aspects of the pool’s condition.  You’ll recall he made a motion at council to get 15,000 of existing money in order to pay these good people, but council turned that down (a split vote).

We hope to see that assessment done this coming week.  It should result in a set of numbers on the basis of which we can approach sources for funding.   This is a long shot, to be sure.  But an assessment has to be done to give such a request any legitimacy.

We are hopeful – not foolish.

Our intention is to have a meeting with city staff to discuss operating costs for the pool in order to get the most realistic assessment of how the pool might fit into a broader plan for provision of aquatics in the city.

We continue to hold the conviction that the city merits a second pool.

Stay tuned for more!

Save the Pool would first like to thank all of the supporters for coming to City Council last night and showing their support for the West Park Pool.  This display of community support continues to add to the nature of residents in Western Hill and their willingness to fight for a community asset that needs to remain in their neighbourhood.

We were able to achieve the motion that we sought and that was to get city staff directed to work with us on finding other revenue sources to keep the pool open!

Time is limited and we need to act quickly as the pool is still slated to be closed after the new pool is open UNLESS we come up with an alternative the City can agree on.

We will continue to update this website on our progress and direction moving forward so everyone can stay informed on our work moving forward.

On March 5th City Council will vote on whether or not to keep the West Park Pool open until the DSBN makes a decision on the fate of West Park School.

Our goal is to get as many supporters to attend the council meeting as possible to show Counillors that we are serious about keeping a pool in Western Hill.

There are many ways you can show your support:

1. Attend the meeting in person (please email kendraayer@gmail.com to confirm).
2. Call City Councillors and tell them the benefits the pool has on your life.
3. Email Councillors regarding the same benefits.

We are very grateful for all the support the community has already shown us and we welcome others to join!

Hello and welcome to our website!

This site will keep the community of St. Catharines up-to-date on the progress of the West Park Pool.

Save the Pool Group has been working hard with the City fo St. Catharines to find a solution that works for everyone.  This website is a chance for residents and users of West Park Pool to stay connected and follow the progress.

In the mean time please take a minute to take this poll regarding the West Park Pool: