The renowned Scona pool, which closed its doors permanently on Sunday after 65 years in business, caused a lot of emotion among Edmontonians.
Kirby Feng, head coach of the Scona Swim Team, remarked, “It’s been a heck of a lot of fun.”
After a report revealed that the decades-old facility required ongoing, expensive repairs and had serious system faults, council decided to permanently close it in August.
In addition, it noted that Bonnie Doon, Confederation, and Kinsmen pools, all located within five kilometres of Scona Pool, are other City of Edmonton swimming facilities.
a troublesome commute for several local residents.
“Seeing it close hurts the residents of this neighbourhood and surrounding areas.
Students have a long history with the pool, and accessing it has always been simple for them. However, now that they must go farther to access aquatic activities, Edmonton Public Schools Ward F trustee Julie Kusiek said of the neighbourhood pool.
Concerning the problems this closure may bring about, Elaine Solez of Friends of Scona Recreation said, “It will be a little bit of a barrier and there are those folks with mobility concerns who really aren’t able to go anywhere else.”
Coun. Ward Papastew
Although the shutdown is a loss to the neighbourhood, according to Michael Janz, swimming will soon be available at Rollie Miles Leisure Centre.
“Going forward, our goal is to get a new recreation centre, a replacement recreation centre on the other side here,” Janz added.
But it’s a project that won’t be finished for years.
The new recreation centre is now in the design phase, but Solez said, “We were hoped Scona Pool could continue open until the new rec centre was finished.” So it will last at least three years, but as of now, there is no end date.
As Edmonton’s 65-year-old Scona Pool finally shuts its doors, crowds gathered for one last swim.
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