KITCHENER -- Local facilities that offer recreational amenities like public pools are gearing up to reopen.
Cleaning crews kept busy at Harry Class Pool in Kitchener, power washing the deck and bare pool with plans to fill it next week.
The outdoor pool is 65 yards long and 25 yards wide which is perfect for keeping physically distanced, according to city staff.
“Throughout the pandemic, we found that lane swimming was an incredibly popular activity,” said Dave Millar, the supervisor of aquatics at the City of Kitchener.
Pre-pandemic, 600 people could swim at Harry Class. Last year with COVID-19 gathering restrictions, 70 people was maximum capacity.
Staff are still waiting for the green light from the province but are optimistic it will be a busy pool season.
When pools can reopen, visitors will have to pre-register for all programs including swimming lessons.
Staff admitted swimming lessons were a hit both pre-pandemic and during, sometimes leading to a waitlist to get in.
“In a normal year at any given time I’d have 2000 kids in swimming lessons, if not more,” said Millar.
When they do get to reopen staff said the proper precautions will be taken.
“For all of our younger, developing swimmer levels, we will have a parent accompany the child into the water," Millar said. "That way the instructor is able to keep distant."
The city of Kitchener has thee indoor pools and four outdoor pools. Swimming lessons will be offered solely outdoors for now.
Some local families said they’re grateful for the outdoor option.
“I'm still not 100 percent comfortable with indoor swimming, but today if there were outdoor swimming lessons offered I'd be completely okay with that,” Dalia Tubis, a Waterloo mother said.
The provincial governing body of competitive swimming, Swim Ontario, is eager to get back in pools with the proper protocols in place.
Officials call swimming a relatively safe activity.
“There has been no transmission in an aquatic environment or chlorinate environment to our knowledge," and Swim Ontario's chief executive Dean Boles.
The City of Kitchener's original re-opening pool plan was tentatively scheduled for mid-June.
Other pool operators in the region, including the City of Waterloo, City of Cambridge and the YMCA of Three Rivers, are also planning for swimming this summer.
In Waterloo, access to pool sites is not currently available as staff continue to perform maintenance or significant construction on indoor sites.
For summer programming, registration opens on June 2. Swim lessons will be conducted at Moses Springer outdoor pool this summer.
The city is anticipating a "busy summer" for its pools and public swim programs.
Cambridge officials said they're hoping to provide swimming lessons this summer at least in outdoor pools once the stay-at-home order is lifted. Residents can register online once swimming is given the go-ahead by the province.
The YMCA of Three Rivers is also planning for swim programs this year.
"We will continue to work closely with partners and public health guidelines to launch our aquatics programming safely," Andrew Kingswood, the YMCA's leader of operational excellence, said in an email. "We believe that swimming lessons are key to individual health and wellness, and are eager to reengage with children, youth, families, and members of our communities who haven’t had access due to the pandemic."
