Scona Pool Inquiry
Councillor Anderson and I submitted a formal Administrative Inquiry this morning on the issues affecting the future of the pool as well as the proper process for dealing with a decision of this nature. We should receive it back to Council’s Community Services Committee in a few weeks.
The text is as follows:
Inquiry: Future of Scona Pool
1. Please provide a written report detailing the business case behind the recommendation to cease operation of Scona Pool. In doing so please confirm:
- How the $80,000 in savings for 2009 closure was determined;
- Attendance trends and comparatives with other Southside pools;
- The gross and net financial projections for 2010 with continued operation;
- Whether the pool owned by EPSB, and if so what are the details of the city’s lease or operating agreement?
2. If the pool is in fact EPSB owned, could the facility be leased and operated independent of the City of Edmonton?
3. Under what financial or operating scenarios might the city’s continued participation be justified?
4. Would the normal process for proposing closure of a city pool involve providing the answers to these kinds of questions in a report to Community Services Committee, and seeking permission to proceed on that basis?
5. If the best course of action is indeed to cease operations, please explain what steps will be taken to accommodate the user groups. Please identify these groups and what consultation has occurred with them and would occur as part of the relocation efforts.
3 thoughts on “Scona Pool Inquiry”
Comments are closed.
I, my family and friends are members of the Queen Alexandra Community League and frequent users of the Scona Pool. The whole community is very concerned with the proposed pool closure. It will completely change our community and the lifestyle in our community we value so much. We hope you will do everything to prevent it.
Hello Don,
Thank you for bringing this forward and asking for a report. My family uses and enjoys Scona for lessons, and recreational swims and I love being able to ride my bike there from Belgravia. Not being able to find the arguments for (or even the discussion around) closing the pool when looking on the city website, the Edmonton Journal or via email to the city department concerned me greatly. Either a lack of transparency or an impromptu decision seems to be in play here. I would encourage council to allow time for the public to review and provide comment on the report before making a decision that will remove amenities from a mature neighborhood like Queen Alexandra. In absence of adequate information for closing the pool I say keep it open. I signed the petition to show support for Scona Pool and for the high school students who are learning about advocacy by championing this effort. Petitions are available at http://www.savesconapool.org.