Well folks, it is finally open.
The long-awaited multi-million dollar Barrhead Regional Aquatics Centre celebrated its grand opening this week with speeches from Westlock-Morinville-Barrhead MLA Glenn van Dijken, Town of Barrhead mayor Gerry St. Pierre, County of Barrhead reeve Doug Drozd, Peace River – Westlock MP Arnold Viersen, Barrhead and District Agrena Society president Shannon Carlson, as well as words from the architect and general contractors, photos and a cake-cutting ceremony.
Last week, the town incorporated the soft opening of the centre into Canada 150 celebrations.
While we do not believe the event should have been politicized, the editorial staff of the Barrhead Leader acknowledges the amount of hard work that went into the project, from the planning, to the fundraising and everything in between.
It took $12 million dollars and more than three years of planning, consultation and fundraising to get the project done.
While we here at the Barrhead Leader still maintain that there are other matters councillors should have prioritized as necessities — waste-water system upgrades for example, the new pool is a welcome addition.
The brand new facility features a lazy river, competition swimming pool, regular pool, sauna and hot-tubs and can hold upward of 308 people at any one time.
Many of you can no doubt remember what the older pool was like and what not having it meant for yourselves and your families.
Now you can put that extra gas money towards a local pool membership instead.
According to Town of Barrhead Parks &Rec director Shallon Touet, the rates will remain the same as was announced at the last information session and plebiscite, held in October 2016.
Kudos to the council for settling on the competitive pricing.
That being said, in our opinion the grand opening could have been held off, especially when it became apparent that the July 1 date was not going to work.
While other communities will have memories of sesquicentennial festivities, unless Barrhead residents traveled to Neerlandia, Fort Assiniboine, Westlock or elsewhere, there is a good chance their only memories of Canada’s 150th will be of a few lackluster fireworks and a peek through the blinds.
