Nanaimo’s Beban Park pool reopens on Monday, 22 months after it closed.
The city has upgraded the 25-metre-long municipal pool during the closure, which began on March 16, 2020, as the pandemic took hold.
The rest of the facility — including the leisure pool, sauna, hot tub and teaching pool — reopened last fall.
Improvements include new tiles in washrooms, LED lighting upgrades, water-efficient taps and paintwork.
An accessibility audit was done last year and the city expects it will help find ways to improve access to the pool and its amenities.
New artwork was been added as well. Coast Salish artist Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun, created large-scale murals, unveiled last fall, that feature the movement of the dog salmon run and the ecosystems sustained by the herring run and the eelgrass.
Aquafit classes will re-start at Beban Park and the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre, and swimming lessons are being offered, with more classes anticipated in the spring.
Under provincial health rules, weight rooms are closed for now. The capacity of the facilities must not exceed 50 per cent and everyone 12 and older must provide proof of vaccination.
— Times Colonist
