The Town of Ponoka is taking advantage of the downtime with the forced closures of recreational facilities during COVID-19, getting a head start on extensive work being done at the Aquaplex and the arena complex.
“Staff at the Aquaplex and arena have been working hard to ensure both facilities are in great shape and ready for reopening once we’re given the go-ahead to safely resume operations,” said Chris McKenna, manager of operations for the Town of Ponoka, in a news release.
The pool’s annual maintenance and facility improvement program usually happens in September, but with the facility closed, town staff have been busy making upgrades to the facility.
Maintenance and facility improvements at the Ponoka Aquaplex include a refurbished and resurfaced hot tub, pipe replacements to upgrade the circulation system for the main pool and deep tank, new chemical controllers for all of the pools, a new five-rung ladder in the deep tank, electrical upgrades in the mechanical rooms, painting where needed, new signage to meet current standards, and a deep cleaning and general maintenance throughout the facility.
Further improvements to the hot tub include the old tiles being replaced with a durable new thermoplastic coating that provides a smoother surface and enhanced user experience, as well as a new hot tub skimmer and filtering sand for improved filtration.
Work on the Ponoka Culture and Recreation Complex (arena) began about two weeks earlier than unusual due to being closed in mid-March.
During the shutdown, town staff have been completing extensive cleaning, interior painting and additional maintenance.
Other improvements include replacement of the ice headers and header trench coverings in both the curling rink and the large ice area, a new ice plant monitoring system, replacement of damaged puck board and kick plates on the large and small ice, repairs and painting of the stands in the large ice area, new clear protective coverings on the advertising boards at both ice surfaces and painting throughout the facility, including the benches in the dressing rooms.
Recreation facilities will be allowed to reopen during Phase III of Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy. A date for the start of Phase III has not been determined yet.
“Once the province gives us the green light to safely reopen the pool and arena, users at both facilities will be welcomed back to enjoy freshly cleaned and refurbished facilities that have been upgraded with a number of improvements,” said McKenna.