NO PLACE FOR SWIMMERS
Opening amenities will take time as staff recalled, given training: officials
City pools, splash pads stay closed
Windsor might be locked in the grip of a prolonged heat wave, but the city says opening municipal pools, splash pads and Sand Point Beach will require more time.
Employees involved with maintenance, monitoring and cleaning of the city’s recreational facilities in many cases are unionized temporary workers, said Andrew Teliszewsky, chief of staff for Mayor Drew Dilkens.
A large majority were among the more than 500 full-time and part-time city workers issued layoff notices in early April due to shutdown orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Employees responsible for the city’s recreational facilities could not be called back to work until Windsor officially entered Stage 2, something Ontario Premier Doug Ford only approved just more than a week ago.
Recall of those laid off employees began on Monday, but the process is cumbersome since it must be handled based on seniority, plus some of the employees have moved on to new jobs or taken on hours elsewhere.
“You have to go through the pecking order in trying to get a hold of people,” Teliszewsky said. “That takes time, but they are working diligently on that.”
And once those workers are returned to the payroll, they then must go through the city’s new COVID-19 protocol training, he said.
The final step is getting each facility cleaned up for reopening, which in many cases will require new security perimeter fencing.
Parks and recreation department staff will be assigned to limit attendance at each site’s entrance to comply with social distancing requirements and ensure no overcrowding occurs — similar to what’s in place at area groceries, hardware stores and big box locations, Teliszewsky said.
“We would love to move forward more quickly, but it’s a function of getting staff recalled, then trained to comply with COVID measures,” he said.
The city this week released a schedule for the reopening of facilities, including recreational water amenities.
Seven of the city’s nine splash pads, the easiest to reopen, will be first with a scheduled opening date of July 13.
Those not opening are Remington Booster Park, since it is inside the fenced outdoor pool area, and a small splash pad at Kimmy Lucier (Mic Mac Park), since the area is too small for appropriate social distancing and a larger splash pad is located nearby.
The Windsor-essex County Health Unit announced it will not be conducting water quality tests at area beaches this summer due to the pandemic, so the city has hired a private contractor for testing at Sand Point Beach.
But the municipal beach may not reopen until Aug. 4, according to the city’s schedule.
Staff training, installing lifeguard chairs and swimming area markers in the water are among reasons for the delay, along with fencing installation.
All of the city’s indoor and outdoor pools will remain closed, likely until the city reaches Stage 3 of reopening, based on city administration considerations over health and safety.
Other cities, including London and Toronto, have moved to open at least some of their outdoor pools, but Teliszewsky believes those facilities are larger in size than Windsor’s pools, allowing for proper social distancing.
In London, residents must also make reservations ahead of time to access municipal pools.
“Pools can open (under Stage 2), but based on some of challenges and what would have to occur to meet public health safety standards, it was determined we don’t have the ability to do so here,” Teliszewsky said.
Windsor city council can override that decision to keep municipal pools closed, but that is unlikely to even be considered until its next meeting on July 13.
“We will monitor the situation to see what more can be done,” Teliszewsky said.
The city is making available the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre downtown as a temporary cooling centre between the hours of 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. No amenities are available for use, but there are tables and chairs set up for residents needing to escape the heat.