Trustees vote to save local pools

Trustees voted to keep the pools - which had been slated to close due to budget cuts - alive due to the hard work of tireless advocates and an outpouring of support from the community.

The two local pools were among nine that were taken off the chopping block thanks to the trustees' decision on Tuesday, Jan. 19. The other pools saved were Carleton Village, George Harvey Collegiate, Earl Grey, Monarch Park, SATEC@W.A. Porter, Western Technical-Commercial School and Winona/McMurrich public schools.

The decision came as a relief to those who were lamenting the potential loss of valuable community resources and arrived on the heels of a $100,000 donation from CUPE Local 4400 to help keep the facilities open.

Kensington Community School pool advocate Kory Prentice said the union's donation was seen as a positive sign, and sparked renewed hope the TDSB would revisit its decision to axe the pools.

"It was a bit of a tip off when the union head donated $100,000," she said. "I had no expectations for the outcome, but that really gave people hope."

Prentice was leading the charge to save Kensington's pool, a role she recently handed over to Alice Chan.

Chan said she thought the union donation "put us over the top," but acknowledged pool advocates still have some work ahead of them. In order to keep the pool open indefinitely, she said, the pool will have to be rented out on an ongoing basis and many are on the lookout for groups that might want to secure permits for pool use.

"We still have to try to promote the pool and get renters involved so we never face that problem again," she said.

Kensington's pool is at once aided and hampered by the fact it is shallower than most. While that makes it unsuitable for some traditional pool uses, it makes it ideal for therapeutic uses such as rehabilitation.

Chan said the pool had secured between $6,000 and $7,000 in permits prior to the trustees' vote and has some additional interest.

"Before the announcement that we were going to remain open, a boys and girls club in the area was inquiring about renting the pool," she said. "We're looking around to see if parents want extra swimming lessons for their kids and looking at other options as well."

Chan expressed optimism if the pools saved by last week's vote are able to raise enough money, they will stay open for several years.

"We were told that if we met certain funding goals then all the pools would stay open for another seven or eight years," she said. "We're still working hard at it, but at least the time line's extended."