TWO AREA SCHOOL pools slated to close were given new life recently.
The pools at Allenby Junior P.S. and Forest Hill C.I. will stay open, although the decision is contingent on the Toronto District School Board’s agreement to continue covering operational expenses.
At a board meeting on June 29, school trustees agreed to keep a total of 20 school pools open previously set for closure. Thirteen additional pools, including the one at Winona P.S., will be closed Aug. 31, but will remain undrained until Dec. 31. It will be reopened if sufficient operating revenue is found. The pool at Oakwood C.I. will be permanently closed.
The Ontario government announced that it will invest up to $15.8 million over the next two years, through the Toronto Lands Corporation, for capital repairs for up to 32 TDSB pools, beginning this summer. The investment supports the recommendation of the Aquatics Working Group led by former mayor David Crombie.
“If the government hadn’t made this announcement, I don’t believe that we would have saved the 20 pools that we did save this year,” said Josh Matlow, trustee fpr St. Paul’s.
“Even if we found the operating costs, it still wouldn’t have been feasible to keep a lot of these pools running.”
The decision comes as welcome news to the organizations that use the facilities.
“Every child needs to learn how to swim and practise life-saving skills,” said Zoe Sher of Swimsmart. Operating for the last five years at Allenby Junior P.S., the non-profit organization offers swimming programs that accommodate 100 children, aged four to nine, each year.
“The recent announcement to keep the Allenby pool open permits Swimsmart another year to complete these important goals,” she said. “[The] school is open and operating because it provides an essential service to the entire Allenby community.”
Matlow credited much of the success in keeping the pools open to the work of the community.
“I think it was largely due to the grassroots efforts of parents, students and residents that all levels [of government] really did respond in different ways,” he said.
Those involved with such grassroots organizations are also positive about the recent decision and what it means to their cause.
“I was very happy with that decision,” said Livia Hunter, a member of Let’s Make Waves, a community-based group who have worked to save school pools within the city.
For Hunter, the struggle to keep school pools open is a personal as well as professional endeavour.
A cardiovascular disease specialist, she grew up swimming in school pools, as did her three daughters.
“In today’s day and age of increasing childhood obesity, to close a recreational facility that is such a healthy, active lifestyle resource … [it’s] remarkable that anyone could consider it,” she said.
“I can’t imagine an international city like Toronto not providing that [access], especially when it’s an existing resource. We have these pools and they’re in great shape.”