Kiwanis Park pool set to reopen on June 9
KITCHENER — Kiwanis Park pool is ready to reopen on June 9, with festivities and fanfare following a $4.1-million makeover.
Prior to the update, the original pool hadn’t undergone any major renovations since it was built in 1968. The pool was closed for the entire 2017 season while it was being completely demolished and rebuilt.
Though there are many other options for outdoor recreation in the city of Kitchener, Adam Brodt, the pool’s supervisor, said you can’t really duplicate the passive, natural atmosphere Kiwanis Park provides.
The lake-like design features sloped, beach-style edges, graduating to a maximum depth of just four feet, as well as ample parkland for barbecues and picnics.
“You can go to Laurel Creek, but that’s not guarded, and there are other places with picnic shelters that don’t have a pool,” Brodt said. “So it is unique in that regard.”
With construction now complete, the total pool area and maximum capacity, which can reach up to 1,800 visitors in a day, remains relatively unchanged. An old pump station that took up space at the west end has been removed, but a concrete peninsula has been added near the centre.
“We noticed with the old pool it was difficult to communicate to people in the middle,” Brodt said. “We’d have megaphones, but this was an opportunity to just increase safety and be able to have someone just speak to people in the middle of the pool for safety.”
There are now nine lifeguard chairs surrounding the pool area, which is more than double the four chairs that previously lined the deck.
Brodt said the city also took extra measures with a consultant during the design phase to make sure the concrete deck and other amenities exceeded standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
Another welcome addition is a spray feature at the west end of
the pool where the fence has been moved back to accommodate a bigger seating area. The spray zone is treated as an additional amenity to the pool and is included with admission fees, Brodt noted.
Grand reopening festivities on June 9 will coincide with the city’s Neighbours Day. There will be free admission to the park and, weather permitting, free swimming, along with cake, speeches and activities for all ages, such as beach volleyball on newly-renovated courts, mini-golf and a photo booth.
The city is also looking to replace the playground in Kiwanis Park and is asking the public what elements they’d like to see. Residents can provide feedback by filling out the survey online at opentownhall.com by May 31.