The swimming pool at Kincardine’s Davidson Centre is showing its age.
So says resident Mike Gade — who made a presentation to council last week — urging councillors to follow-up on their own commissioned report that called for 600 thousand dollars in renovations and upgrades to the pool.
Gade says in Kincardine, swimming is the #1 event in household participation in recreation and leisure and provincially is second only to walking as a favoured leisure pursuit.
He says the pool is a great facility for 1978 standards but is well below 2011 standards.
Gade says he is noticing more and more people choosing to go elsewhere to swim, such as Goderich and Hanover rather than visit the much older Davidson Centre pool.
He says that’s going to have a significant financial impact on the community in the future.
He quoted from the municipality’s own report that called for renovations, upgrades and the addition of a therapy pool or splash area, along with improved change rooms and washroom facilities.
After the meeting, Councillor Ken Craig who is Policy Chair of Recreation Services under Kincardine’s new governance set up, said he knows where Gade is coming from but there is no way there will be a new pool built in the foreseeable future.
He says with tough budget sessions around the corner a pool upgrade simply won’t make the cut.
