Community centre pool, gym reopening Thursday

Both the pool and fitness room at the Penticton Community Centre are set to reopen Thursday by reservation only, following a five-month closure triggered by COVID-19.

“We have thoroughly evaluated this wellused facility and determined how we can offer services again using a gradual, phased approach,” Bregje Kozak, the city’s director of recreation and facilities, said in a press release Tuesday.

“The health and safety of our guests and staff is our No. 1 priority, and there has been a tremendous amount of staff time and planning to ensure a safe reopening.

“This facility is accustomed to seeing over 300,000 visitors each year utilizing different aspects of the community centre. In order to feel certain in offering other services, we need to ensure that we are confident at each stage of our reopening before moving on to the next phase.”

The reopening plan calls for gradual increases in the numbers of patrons and programs, but to start will be limited to reservations only.

Swimmers will have to go online in advance to book a lane. They will then wait outside the centre in carefully spaced groups until their time slots arrive, at which point they’ll be escorted inside by a staff member. The hot tub, sauna and steam room will all remain closed.

A similar booking system will be used for the fitness room, where patrons will exercise for an hour and 15 minutes in groups of 12.

Reservations can be made a maximum of 48 hours in advance.

Patrons will be charged a flat fee of $7 for the fitness room and $6.75 for the pool.

Combined with only running Monday through Friday, eight hours a day, the number of people in and out of the pool on a regular day will drop to about 140 from 1,000 pre-pandemic, while the number of fitness room visitors will drop to about 60 from 350.

A reservation system will also be in place when the Summerland Aquatic and Fitness Centre reopens Sept. 8.

A plan presented to council Monday includes one-hour time slots for both the pool and fitness room. Besides lane swimming, the pool will also offer aquafit classes and bookings for swim clubs.

The centre’s operating hours will be Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If all goes well during the first phase of reopening, staff plan to add more hours and programming in mid-October.