Indoor pool to close; Total of four full-time workers to be laid off

Posted By DAN McCAFFERY

Posted 22 hours ago

Sarnia is about to lose one of its few indoor swimming pools.

The River City Vineyard has announced it will close its pool on Mitton Street by the end of next month.

George Esser, senior pastor of the church located in the old YMCA building on Mitton Street, said the organization can no longer afford to keep operating the pool.

Four employees, two full-time and two-part time, will be laid off as a result of the closure, along with five part-time lifeguards, he said.

River City purchased the former Y' in 1997. Over the years it has made the pool available to students, seniors, swim clubs and special needs groups.

But Esser said River City can't afford the cost of upkeep.

In the past, the pool broke even financially, he said. But in recent years expenses have gone up significantly, mainly because of increased utility costs.

Esser said River City would need about $100,000 to keep the pool open, with approximately half of that total going toward the purchase of a heat recovery unit. Another $50,000 would be needed for maintenance.

Operating a pool is expensive, he said, noting it cost $12,000 to paint River City's a few years ago.

"Everybody loves the idea of a swimming pool but there's no money in pools or arenas," he said. "They should be a community effort."

Even if $100,000 was raised, that would only keep the pool going for a time. "We probably need $200,000 to bring everything back to new," he said.

Esser said raising fees is not a solution. "Even if we charged four times the amount, we would still have an old, inefficient pool."