Don’t forget to head down here for the Fall Fair which runs Friday, Sept. 7 from 2 to 9 pm and Saturday, Sept. 8 from 9 am to 5 pm. This being the 100th anniversary of this historic event means there are some pretty amazing displays and entertainment going on – check out www.crestonvalleyfair.com as well as the Creston Valley Advance.
We are just wrapping up our annual pool shutdown and will reopen Saturday, Sept. 8th at 1 pm (check out the Fall Fair then come for a dip!) One question that gets asked every so often over the years is why we close and why now? Great question! Pool Shutdown is an important part of the annual cycle of our Aquatic Facility. While a couple weeks out of service may be an inconvenience for some, this time keeps your pool healthy and functional and helps reduce maintenance related service impacts throughout the year. We do apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience – that being said, programming staff set up a pile of drop-in programs during this time, some new, all free thanks to the generous sponsorship once again of Denné Ahlefeld.
So why now? Back in 2009 when we were transitioning from outdoor to indoor operations, there were many planning meetings and lengthy discussions on setting a standard shutdown time which, not so coincidentally, the majority of aquatic facilities tend to centre around – that being an August/September timeframe. Remember, we had no operational data at that time but as it turned out is one of the quieter times in usage or program participation. This is also the time of year where we see staff that are going back to school or college elsewhere begin to twitch a bit as they face the inevitable and either want to get their stuff moved into residence, get their school stuff organized or simply take a short break before it all begins again for them. We try and overlap this time with the new staff (if the stars align and we have some) to do some intense training/orientation without public in the pools.
Having a shutdown at this time also provides a section of the population that still wants to splash about an option to go to the lake or river which might be less palatable in cooler temps. (brisk certainly, but potentially a good cardio workout) It provides an uninterrupted run of swim lesson sets and some programs to the end of the year which are starting shortly; experience has shown us inconsistency affects participation. The timing fits better with our maintenance staff as grounds keeping has slowed down, they have the ice surface made and functioning smoothly and aside from a few “hair on fire” moments setting up Fall Fair, they can accomplish the required maintenance on pool mechanical. We were just talking about how we have had very little loss of pool time because of a mechanical failure (knock on wood) as we do catch a lot of items during the shutdown. There have been a few small unforeseen ones but we really try and cover all bases.
What else? – we can open the doors this time of year to clean out storage rooms (laying stuff on outside patio) and air out the place plus we are aiming to have the pool open Saturday for Fall Fair because you are coming down for the 100th Anniversary, right? Our programming (we offer over 400 a year) operates around a seasonal template and this is the natural transition time from summer to fall. (we are also transitioning to a new registration and booking program, but that’s another column…) This time of year is also a better fit for our Creston Wave Swim Club rather than a spring interruption in training plus we do it over a long weekend so that’s one less day affecting open times.
We get it – we really don’t like inconveniencing anyone and we certainly want you here enjoying this great place the Creston Valley has. However, when we have to, we try to place it where it causes the least amount of pain plus give you some other choices like skating or free programs. Thank you for your understanding!