Unique pool setup in need of lifesaving
By Andrew Zwicker
The Rossland Swimming Pool Society is making waves this week in an effort to keep the only society-run swimming pool in the province from going down the drain. While the pool itself is not in immediate danger of closing, the society that runs it may be. With almost 80 years of operation under its belt, the group is putting out an all pools bulletin to recruit new members to its board and maintain the only swimming pool in the immediate area that Rosslanders can go to for a non- exorbitant price.
With three board members drifting off this year and a fourth also thinking of departing, the Rossland Pool Society could very quickly be down to one member. The laws around BC societies state that there is a three member minimum limit; if new board members aren’t recruited, the society could be forced to dissolve. In that eventuality, the City of Rossland might take over the pool. That’s not a definite thing, though, and and the board hopes they won’t have to go down that road. “People are busy,” says Aaron Cosbey, current Board co-President. “Most of the volunteers in this town are doing two or three major things, and then many have families and jobs. You can see why our numbers have fallen.” While the number of board directors has fallen in recent years, membership at the pool has been dramatically rising, possibly due to the Trail Resident Card program which forces Rosslanders to pay double the price to swim at the Trail Aquatic Centre. If the pools numbers are an indicator of a demographic shift, the signs are positive for the Golden City. Family memberships at the pool have risen from 45 in 2007 to 76 in 2010. Adult memberships also increased from 12 to 15 and total members have risen from 73 in 2007 to 116 in 2010. On top of that, total user numbers, including non-member day admissions, have also followed a similar trending increase. Presently the pool, while owned and operated by the society, works in close relationship with the City of Rossland. The city contributes $26,000 annually towards pool operations. It also donates 100 hours of in-kind staff labour to assist with the pool. Robin Hethey, Rossland’s recreation manager, also has a portion of her time paid by the Pool Society and facilitates the day-to-day management of the facility. The pool also typically receives a federal grant to hire a student lifeguard. Beyond that, the facility operates on membership fees and admissions to sustain its operations. While alarm bells are not being sounded that the pool itself could close, what could be lost is some of the “spunk”–that unique for-the-community-by-the-community spirit that comes with a volunteer setup. “The fact that you have a bunch of people that are users whose friends are users and family members are users deciding how the pool should be run is very valuable and creates a unique environment for a truly community facility. For example, if it comes down to thinking about having more camps for the summer or full day camps, half day camps–that type of stuff gets batted around by people that actually use the camps. Any civic service society would love to have that kind of input from an advisory board.” As far as volunteer board positions go, the pool society is a pretty plumb job. This year being on the board for the first time includes a free membership to the pool. The requirements are seasonal by nature with the board having six to eight meetings from May through November. In the last several years that board has generated and implemented some truly unique ideas that will set the pool up well for a future of rising energy costs. Two years ago, following ideas generated by the board, the pool implemented a unique system of using the hot air exhaust from its next door neighbor City Hall’s AC units to partially heat their water. Now going into their third year using the system that recently saw some upgrades as City Hall replaced its air conditioning system, the savings (which have amounted to roughly $3,000 a year thus far) are expected to continue to grow. Of course, the more money saved on operating expenses, the more the society has to put back into programs such as the its popular movie nights. “There’s a lot of good energy that comes from a community board,” Cosbey added. “This pool was built during the Depression by the community for the community. It would be a shame to lose all that great history, and all the great ideas that a board brings. This pool is a community gem. My kids learned to swim here and it’s a great resource for kids, families and lap swimmers in the summer.” If the recent spell of warm weather has got you pulling your bikinis and board shorts out of the attic, fear not, the pool is planning to open in early June as usual with hopes that the last of the cool weather may now be behind us. If preserving the ability to swim on our downtown’s main street in the oldest (and now only) society-run pool in the province sounds like something you’d be into, then consider volunteering. With a little help from Rossland’s legendary volunteer spirit, the board is looking forward to summers of wet and wild fun for many years to come.
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