Residents in the Regional District of Central Kootenay have many swimming options this summer, including at Nelson’s Gyro Park Pool, which is scheduled to re-open on Tuesday, July 2.
The pool will be open seven days a week from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. until August 31.
Long-time users of the Gyro Park Pool may notice a few changes this year, including the new pedestrian bridge that was successfully installed in May.
Swimming enthusiasts can also enjoy the Salmo Pool, now open after a 10-day delay, as well as the natural swimming ponds at Castlegar’s Millennium Park.
The options are nice for Kootenay residents, after a lifeguard shortage forced the Regional District of Central Kootenay to scale back hours at many community pools and aquatic centres for a few years.
However, Craig Stanley, Operations & Asset Manager, said the RDCK’s in-house training program, which was launched in early 2024, has significantly increased the local lifeguard roster.
“The lifeguard shortage that we experienced in previous years is no longer relevant. We’re finding that there are more people involved and engaged in becoming lifeguards, and we’ve done a very good job of promoting our in-house training opportunities that are available for the community. So we’re seeing that our lifeguard rosters are getting much stronger and we have more pool hours available.”
The swimming ponds at Millennium Park and Ponds, which include a beach and three swimming areas on the Columbia River, don’t have lifeguards on site; however, there are options for all swimming levels.
A media release from the City of Castlegar explained that the top pond is designed for use by youngsters and their families, the middle pond is designed for teenagers and adults, and the bottom pond has a small water slide.
The city follows the Canadian Recreational Water Guidelines and regularly tests the natural ponds’ water quality and submits the results to the Interior Health Authority for review.
More information on the RDCK’s outdoor and indoor pool hours can be found here.
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