August 30, 2024 News Roundup
Good Morning,
I fully realize this email is standing between you and a relaxing long weekend, so I'll keep it as brief as possible.
ICYMI we have a developing aquatic/recreation infrastructure crisis. Many swimming pools were built to celebrate Canada's centennial (1967), and now we're seeing a huge number reach the end of their lifecycle simultaneously. This story isn't going away anytime soon, but two articles this week particularly exemplify the struggle between the desire to have aquatic facilities but the lack of financial support for said facilities.
OPINION: Get over it. The old Mount Forest outdoor pool is history
This op ed is validating for anyone who's ever worked in facility management: nobody cares until it's too late. This author comes with receipts regarding each time the community failed to step up and make a decision about the future of the pool, punting the decision to a point when recovery was no longer possible.
We're seeing the same thing underway regarding McKinnon Pool at the University of Victoria (British Columbia). The 50 year-old pool was recently closed because there wasn't $1.5m for capital repairs, then public petitions started, and now engineers are reassessing triage options to ultimately put a very expensive and completely inadequate bandage on a bullet hole, i.e. not solve the solution for the next 20-30 years.
Residents balk at high price tag for new municipal pool
Further, many organizations are completely unprepared for the actual construction and repair costs we're seeing in 2024. Think about your grocery bill. On routine items like bread or milk, you might not have noticed the slow creep of 15¢ periodically until you find an old receipt from 2021. But if there's an item you buy less often - say a turkey for Thanksgiving - you might be surprised if you're turkey in 2024 is $20 higher than the turkey in 2023.
Pool equipment and supplies has easily increased 13% year over year. Throw in the strong USD, limited supply of qualified tradespeople, soaring demand, and organizations coming in with extremely tight budgets and no contingency are quickly getting priced out of projects they've sat on for 2-3 years.
I'm not suggesting it's responsible to rush into a capital project without proper due diligence, but rather than look at the cost in 2024 vs 2016, you need to consider what your costs will be in 2024 vs 2029. Yes, the costs of lending are high, but in my opinion the future opportunity costs of putting off these projects will be much higher than simple interest. Time is of the essence.
In other news...
Vancouver Island chasing Canada's first high-performance surf centre
When people ask me about an aquatic trend they may not have heard about yet, land-based pools for surfing (a.k.a. Wavegardens) are the latest fad that immediately comes to mind. The current market report is $1.4bn (2023) and expected to double by 2030. Earlier this year StarGuard Elite, a US-based lifeguard training agency, even announced a partnership to develop a safety program with URBNSURF.
New National Swimming Strategy published by Minister Thomas Byrne
Ireland released a national strategy to provide everyone with the opportunity to access swimming. The complete report & consultation data can be downloaded here. Important highlights including prioritizing access & inclusion; infrastructure investment; and better water safety education for those engaging in open water swimming ("wild swimming"), something that has increased substantially in the UK since the Pandemic.
Women wearing burkinis were refused entry to the pool in Remich
The article is in French, so CLICK HERE to have it embedded in Google Translate - toggle to English at the top of the page if it does not appear automatically as 'Translation.' Bill C-18 prevents me from accessing older news articles posted to our Facebook page, so I can't quantify exactly how often this happens in Luxembourg, but it feels like a lot; I've posted similar stories many times before.
More testing needed at Edmonton's natural pool to track contamination risk, germ experts say
Borden is one of only two commercial natural swimming pools in North America - the other is in Minneapolis. It's a beautiful facility, but it's always felt like a project initiated to put Edmonton on the map architecturally rather than practical for the needs of residents. I support strictly capping daily usage of the facility - that's how the variance permits were issued in the first place - so it's concerning to hear bather load has been been raised (to accommodate demand) without clear proof that the existing mechanical systems can handle it.
Community pushes back against town's plan to replace pool with splash pad
A number of years ago, I wrote an article for PoolPro about the number of communities making the switch from swimming pools to splash pads. Winnipeg made such an announcement this year. I'm pleased to see this community engage with the topic as a bigger infrastructure discussion, similar to what I said at the top of this newsletter. Lifeguard shortages are a red herring. As I said in a recently newsletter, there's not a lifeguard shortage - there's a lack of funding for lifeguards.
Lastly, the fall is usually the busiest time of the year for our Certified Pool Operator (CPO) classes, so please don't delay registration if a specific date works best for you or your team; our classes do routinely sell out. We have a Zoom CPO class September 23 - 26 and our last CPO class in Calgary for 2024 on September 18-19. The 2025 CPO Schedule is in progress, and should be available by mid-October.
If you've made it all the way to the end, thank you! I appreciate the time you've spent with me today.
Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.