Vernon pool set for annual shutdown

The Vernon Aquatic Centre will soon close for annual maintenance.

Greater Vernon Recreation will close the facility at 3310 37th Ave., from Monday, Aug. 28 to Sept. 17.

The annual shutdown provides the opportunity to do preventative maintenance and repairs to systems that can’t be serviced while the facility is open to the public.

Work will include repairs to the water slide tower and maintenance on the UV system for the lap pool, among other projects.

With Central Okanagan evacuees having been relocated to Vernon amid the wildfires to the south, a plan is in place to replace the recreational value that the Aquatic Centre holds during the shutdown.

“During the response to the Central Okanagan wildfire situation, Vernon has been a host community for evacuees from neighbouring areas, which means we know we have a number of new people in the community right now who may have kids and are looking for activities to do,” said Jason Blood, director of recreation services.

“Due to this unexpected situation, we appreciate the maintenance shutdown of the Aquatic Centre may create a gap in indoor, kid-friendly activities for those families. Therefore, we are looking at temporary options to provide kid-friendly activities in our gymnasiums during the shutdown, in light of the circumstances. We encourage residents and visitors to regularly visit gvrec.ca over the next few weeks to find updates on programming and services.”

The Recreation Centre office will remain open to the public between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Greater Vernon Recreation also reminds residents that the fall and winter Active Living Guide is available on its website (and delivered in the Aug. 24 issue of The Morning Star newspaper). Registration for fall programming opens to Greater Vernon residents at 7:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 28. Registration for all other areas starts 7:30 a.m. Sept. 1.