Just like a Katy Perry song, officials have been “yes, then you’re no, you’re in, then you’re out” about the fate of Kitsilano pool this summer. But after all that “Hot N Cold” messaging, the pool is finally reopened to swimmers — well, some swimmers.
The first swimming sessions of the 2024 summer season were sold out just hours after it was announced that Vancouver Coastal Health had deemed the temporary fixes sufficient to address the safety concerns raised in June and that the pool could, in fact, open on August 7 as promised.
The news we’ve all been waiting for: Kits Pool opens tomorrow, August 7! 🎉
Visit our website for opening hours and to book your swim session today: https://t.co/Yaw138Vcjx
See you at the pool! 🏊♂️ pic.twitter.com/HUj6DMHWtB
— Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (@ParkBoard) August 6, 2024
The welcomed news came too late for some critics, who wanted more than 15 hours’ notice that they could once again don their swimsuits for a beloved early morning length swim for opening day.
What’s happening with the Kits Pool Aug 7 opening @KenSimCity promised? Still not listed on Showpass to buy tickets. How much notice will be given? 🤷♀️ @ParkBoard @CityofVancouver #vanpoli #kitsilano #swimcity https://t.co/gBeJlrr8rf
— Elvira Lount (@elviralount) August 5, 2024
Others seemed to take issue with the reservation system itself.
“City of Vancouver, hate to break this to you, but COVID is LONG OVER, so why do pool users have to do an annoying website pre-book for a public taxpayer-funded facility and why can’t pool users just simply show up at the pool and wait in line if it’s busy, like we have done FOR DECADES with no issues? Lingering bureaucratic power tripping perhaps?” one person shared on Daily Hive.
Please, PLEASE – do the right thing for the community – return admission to pre-COVID system. Enough of over-governing access to Kits Pool. @ParkBoard @KenSimCity a generation of kids need their community pool to be accessible. #soldout #dumbsystem https://t.co/FUi3GFS4FZ
— Jody Vance (@jodyvance) August 7, 2024
Why are we still having to book online? That was a COVID thing, wasn’t it? Cc: @jodyvance @TomDavidoff
— Robert Ford (@vancouverobert) August 6, 2024
Take your booking/reservation system and stick it where the sun don’t shine. Sheesh. #vanpoli
— Michael Dunleavy (@DunleavMichael) August 7, 2024
But they weren’t the only ones reacting to the news. Many swimmers lined up and were thrilled to be able to get back into the pool on Wednesday. They said the space offers a unique salt-water swimming experience within its 137-metre distance, ideal for triathletes and lifeguard training sessions.
Bookings for the following three days (the earliest ahead that you can book) were also going fast just an hour and a half after the Vancouver Park Board shared the news on social media. As of Wednesday morning, the entire 7-8:30 am swim sessions have been booked for the week. It doesn’t appear that reservations are required outside those swimming times, putting it to a first-come, first-served experience.
Claire Fenton/Daily Hive
However, while many questioned the last-minute announcement, others continued to call out the costs.
“Such a short lifespan for a pool of this expense,” one person shared on X.
“What was the warranty on the recent repair? Because it didn’t work and we taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for it,” another chimed in.
Mayor Ken Sim said in a news conference Wednesday that everyone jumped in to help reopen the vital facility, including the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, which were able to fill the pool with their equipment in one day, a process that normally would take five days. Now, they are trying to determine the next steps.
“We’re into making sure that we not only preserve, but we actually augment the city’s iconic assets for generations to come, and that’s why councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung and [I] moved the motion to reimagine a modernized replacement for Kits pool. And so we’re going to be looking at innovative funding avenues such as creating a dedicated fund for donations and corporate sponsorships to help us build a fabulous pool that will last another 100 years,” he said.
Adding, “Get in your bathing suit and jump in because it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Park Board Chair Brennan Bastyovanszky said they might be able to get three years out of the fixes.
Kitsilano Pool refilled on July 28, 2024, following interim repairs. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Kitsilano Pool refilled on July 28, 2024, following interim repairs. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
“The repairs that were done, they do, they do allow additional time so the pool, according to the City Maintenance Group, that it should the repairs that have been done and the liner that was ordered back in December will end up adding two or three years to…at least buy us time to come up with that,” he said.
Officials added that to accommodate the facilities reopening, they’ve had to readjust the schedule at Second Beach Pool to ensure they have enough lifeguards, but they don’t anticipate a shortage of guards.
“We, of course, regret that the pool wasn’t ready in time to be open at the start of the season. But that’s why I am pleased to announce that the Park Board is extending the pool operating hours right through summer. So the last day of operation will be September 22,” Bastyovanszky said.
Kits pool will be open until September 22, extending the season, to make good for those who have been disappointed by the closure. But bad news for Second Beach swimmers as the hours there will be cut back slightly to allow for lifeguards to be shared between facilities. pic.twitter.com/3UdM0h9rtB
— Claire Fenton (@Ceeceefenton) August 7, 2024
He was among those who got in for a swim on opening day, saying he was happy to be back in the clear water for some laps and thrilled “despite the obstacles that we’ve had to overcome.”
The pool will be open for about six weeks. If the repairs hold, it will reopen next summer, which will add an additional 17 weeks. The repairs were estimated to cost $3 million, which brings the weekly cost breakdowns to $136,363 for the two-year temporary fixes.
Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung said Wednesday that, at this time, they are monitoring the situation as it comes.
An aerial view of Kitsilano Pool from 1945 (Royal Canadian Airforce/Vancouver) Archives
“The work of ensuring the resiliency of Kits pool will remain ongoing. Right now, the contemplation after the extended season closes on September 22 is to add a new pool liner to extend it. Best information at this point is that that would provide a few years. I think we’re going to look to engineer expertise, as we said, to extend the life, because it does take time to design and deliver a new pool. The goal, obviously, is to reduce the amount of downtime,” she said.
An additional $2 million has already been earmarked for a feasibility study for the pool’s much-needed permanent rebuild.