Renovations continue at Kiwanis Pool
Interior pool tiles being replaced
It’s out with the old tiles and in with the new tiles at the Kiwanis Pool as renovation work continues at the community facility.
The Sydney pool closed July 1 — a month ahead of when it usually shuts down for its regular summer break — so that the second phase of renovation could get underway.
Ralph Jeans, chair of the Kiwanis Pool committee, said the replacement of the tile in the pool is the biggest part of phase two and crews from Brilun Construction are removing the existing tile. Once that’s complete, the installation of the new tiles will begin.
“(The new tile) is a nice blue tile, they’re a much larger tile this time around than the mosaic tile we had,” he said. “That’ll make a big difference. Most modern pools have that.”
The Kiwanis Pool, located on Inglis Street in Sydney, was built in 1974 through a joint agreement between the Kiwanis Club of Sydney and the province of Nova Scotia.
The first phase of renovation work at the pool, which included replacing the pool deck, the installation of a new drainage system, as well as plumbing, electrical and mechanical upgrades, began in September of 2015 and was completed this past winter. It cost approximately $300,000, with all three levels of government and the Kiwanis Club itself contributing funds to the project.
For this second phase, the Nova Scotia Department of Education is contributing $100,000 and Jeans said the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has promised $40,000 to the project. Combined, that will cover the tile replacement work, but Kiwanis officials are still looking to secure another $100,000 to complete phase two of the renovation, which would see new lighting and doors installed, and the walls painted.
Jeans said the pool tile replacement and associated work should take about two months to complete and they hope to reopen the pool by mid-September.
Jeans said their tile sale fundraising effort is ongoing and any businesses or individuals interested in purchasing a tile can do so by calling the Kiwanis Pool at 902-564-4501. The tiles will feature the name or logo the purchaser wishes and they will be displayed at the entrance of the pool.
Jeans said the community has been very generous and they are hoping that will continue.
“We’d certainly like to see some more contributions come in,” he said.