Rally to save inner-city pools held outside City Hall
Posted Sep 11, 2019 11:07 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Support for the Inglewood Pool continues to grow as a rally was held Wednesday morning before a presentation at City Hall.
The City plans to close the Inglewood and Beltline pools by the end of the year citing low revenue and a lack of usage.
WATCH: Cuts are draining the life out of inner-city communities
Naomi Withers who helped organize the rally said usage should not be the only criteria the city looks at.
“What we want City Council to understand is the decision to close the pool shouldn’t just be a numbers game, they should also consider the social impacts that the pool has on community building.”
Withers said a petition to keep Inglewood Pool open has already received over 4,000 signatures.
Sara Poldaas signed the petition and joined the rally, saying she was shocked to hear the pool was closing. She adds the facility a lot to more than just Inglewood.
“We regularly meet with people when we’re at the pool who come from all over Calgary specifically because it is smaller, it’s a flat-water pool. It doesn’t have thousands and thousands of people at it over the weekend and that’s a real bonus for some people who are recovering from injury or for seniors who have reduced mobility.”
The Inglewood Pool is scheduled to close on Dec. 31, 2019, with the Beltline pool to follow on Jan. 1
