Monday was supposed to be the day for the first of Kitchener’s city-run outdoor pools to open for the year.
With temperatures reaching 27 C – the highest they have thus far in 2014 – it would have been the perfect day for it, too.
But instead, Idlewood Pool remained closed.
Crews worked to fill the pool with water, but Idlewood – the first of Kitchener’s pools to open – won’t be ready to go until the weekend.
“With all the rain that we got, we weren’t able to get crews out here as early as we’d have liked,” said Dave Millar, the city’s aquatics supervisor.
“We’re going to make sure it’s done right, and sometimes that means taking a little bit of extra time.”
Once a pool is full, workers still have to ensure proper chlorine levels and pass health inspections.
Mari Takape regularly takes her nephew Brody through Idlewood Park.
They don’t always swim, but they enjoy having access to the pool and watching others use it.
“We like getting wet,” says Takape.
“I’m surprised it’s not open yet – it was last year.”
Week-by-week through June, another pool will be opened up across the city.
Harry Class is slated to open on June 7, with the Kiwanis Park pool the following weekend and Wilson Pool on June 20.
“They will certainly be up and running for when kids are out of school and looking for something to do,” says Millar.
