October 25, 2026: 13 years to build a new pool
Greetings from Barcelona,
I haven't been managing my time the way I thought I'd be able to while traveling, so I appreciate your patience as newsletter delivery is helter skelter for a few more weeks.
Last weekend, Lac La Biche County inaugurated their new $44.9m aquatic facility connected to the Bold Center. This is significant because this is the job that brought me to Alberta in 2013, so I thought I would share that story, and how it illustrates the complexity of committing to a new aquatic facility.
I grew up in Ottawa and completed my B.A. at the University of Toronto. I next completed my M.A. at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before returning to Toronto in 2011. My colleague from aquatics at the University of Toronto Athletic Centre during undergrad told me they were looking to fill a new role between the fulltime aquatic managers and casual supervisors, so I ended up in one of those FTE faculty roles from 2011 - 2013.
The fit wasn't going to work long-term, so my cousin in Calgary suggested I apply for aquatic positions in Alberta, even if only temporarily, to make good money before landing a "real job" in my field of study.
For context, in 2013, the price of oil (the main natural resource in Alberta) was high, and every single industry was short qualified people. I remember submitting dozens of resumes for jobs (aquatics or otherwise) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and never hearing back, whereas I submitted one aquatic application in Alberta, and someone called me to schedule an interview 30 minutes later. Plus, the base salaries for the aquatic roles was 2x what I was making in Toronto, without signing bonus or moving expenses.
(Aquatics in Alberta is taken seriously as a trade or blue collar management and paid a fair, living wage. This is one of the things I truly love about my adopted home province, and why 13 years later, I can say with conviction I have no plans to ever leave - in addition to everything else I love about the lifestyle on the prairies!)
Unrelated, I had a trip to Calgary planned when I was offered the Aquatic Services Coordinator (pool manager) role at Portage Pool in Lac La Biche, AB in July 2013. My cousin & I made the 14-hour return trip from Calgary to see the small town. This was only my second visit to Alberta, ever, but have a way of either being ridiculously optimistic or slightly delusional about my own capabilities, so I took the job in August 2013.
As challenging as it was to live in a remote community after only living in urban areas (LLB is 2.5 hours from Edmonton; there's no Tim Hortons, which tells you exactly how small it is), that job was inextricable from my journey in aquatics.
I was given free reign over every aspect of a stand-alone aquatic facility with an off-site boss. From staffing to budgeting to programming, facility management, advertising, procurement and everything in between. More practically, I learned how to deal with angry customers after work in the grocery store, participate in weekly live radio sessions, repair broken equipment by myself at 10 o'clock at night, etc.
More relevant for those of you reading this newsletter: Council had concerns about lifecycle planning for Portage Pool, built in 1992. Lac La Biche County (the municipality) had a good working relationship with the landlord (Portage College), but didn't own the swimming pool it operated with only a 20 year lease. The community opened a spectacular $70m multiplex called the Bold Center in 2011, and opted not to add $11m for a new aquatic facility. LLB residents started to regret that decision almost immediately when the Town of Athabasca (45 minutes west) announced they would build a huge new, multi-basin aquatic facility.
Suffice it to say, aquatics was a hot topic, so I created the Aquatic Services Strategic Plan, adopted by Council, starting the conversation about a new pool.
13 years later, I'm not solely responsible for the new pool - I left that role in LLB in 2016 - but it created a blueprint carried on by many people who followed in aquatics/recreation and corporate services.
Cost was always a big concern - the analogy "champagne tastes on a beer budget" comes to mind - but during the Pandemic, LLB County secured excellent funding: $6 million from the federal government, $9 million from the Government of Alberta through Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding, and $29.9 million from Lac La Biche County through a 20-year borrowing term at six percent interest (source).
Construction has been delayed, costs went up, scope dramatically changed many times over, but the grand opening was finally last weekend. I missed it (due to away), but I look forward to visiting and showcasing the facility in 2027.
Alberta Major Projects profile
So it's taken 13 years to build a new pool. I wouldn't say this project was particularly delayed or expedited; it simply took the time it took for all of the pieces to line up the way the way they needed to.
Next year (2027) will be 10 years since I started Lakeview Aquatic Consultants and 2028 will be the year I left my fulltime municipal aquatic role to pursue consulting fulltime. I have learned many things along the way, but one thing I always come back to is the fact some projects, tasks or ideas DO benefit from more time. Sometimes we just need to sit with some level of uncertainty a bit longer to gain better clarity.
Here's everything else I think you should know about from the aquatic industry during the last week -
Aquatic centre gets 'creative' to minimize impact of lengthy shutdown
Continuing as many programs as possible also ensures some work hours for staff, and not losing all continuity for swim lessons or the aquatic leadership pipeline that trains future aquatic staff.
As costs to run arenas and rec centres rise, some municipalities consider charging out-of-towners more
When I moved to Alberta in 2013, this was already a standard practice at most municipal organizations. I understand it can be a shock for neighboring communities, or feel like a two-tier system when (e.g.) program registration access is delayed, but I feel this is valuable to prioritize the ratepayers whose taxes fund facility operations.
Pool man sacked for 'inadvertently' making mustard gas
The blame should be in the lack of workplace training and chemical safety education that made this 'inadvertent.'
Palm Harbor class teaches CPR to people hard-of-hearing and deaf
Local Group Believes A New Pool Is Key For Drumheller Recreation
This news story might have been taken down.
Augusta pool closure exposes years of funding gaps
Grieving parents of 4yo boy who drowned in Officer suing Melbourne Water, Cardinia council
This will be interesting to watch because if there was a quasi-fence (albeit poorly maintained) maybe that creates a precedent or expectation that there should be a better fence around the fence, as opposed to no fence?
Sudden closure of community pool fuels conflict in Antigo over school spending
"The school board briefly closed a community pool, citing lack of funding — then approved construction of a football field."
Ten children and one adult hospitalised after ‘excess chlorine incident’ at Dublin pool
Marinette teen accused in drowning death signs plea agreement
I'm not apologizing for this teen's actions, but push culture and the idea of throwing someone into the pool, the lake, etc. continues to be a major problem in Western culture.
Family of drowned Virginia summer camper files $100 million wrongful death lawsuit
New Pool to Cost $630,000 Per Year To Operate
Credit to them for trying to understand the costs of operating the new pool before building it. The classic, but perennial example I give is when the City of Yellowknife was shocked to discover (after construction had already started) how much more expensive it would be to operate the new $80m aquatic facility than the small, old pool.
Norway plans temporary ban on AI glasses in parks, schools and gyms
"Bäderland is introducing its AI-powered drowning detection system, which—following successful testing—is scheduled to be installed in all 20 of Hamburg's indoor swimming pools by the end of 2027. Hamburg will thus become the first major German city to have this technology installed citywide."
SwimRVA lawsuit alleges inflatable blocked lifeguard during King Overton drowning
City of Leander hosts floating pumpkin patch
As compared to some other Halloween-themed swims, I like that this one actually has a "purpose" in terms of kids selecting the pumpkin to take home... not just spending money for people to swim amongst pumpkins for a few hours.
Letter from bereaved families demanding action to prevent drowning delivered to Prime Minister
Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.
Throwback to this video I recorded with the cofounder two years ago because I truly have no idea why this product hasn't taken off the way it should. I would love to see more aquatic facilities make reinforced swim caps like this a mandatory part of staff uniforms during inservice/lifeguard training; the number of workers' compensation claims I've seen from head injuries/concussions over the years is not small!
No AI tools were used to research, consolidate, format or write any portion of this newsletter.