Construction on the Wascana pool is on track to open in 2023. The city provided an update Friday on the $16.5 million Wascana pool renovation project.
Construction began in the summer of 2021 and will be completed by the 2023 season.
When the new pool opens, residents will be able to enjoy amenities such as a lazy river, water slides, a beach-entry recreational pool, a lap pool and dive tank, a hot tub, and a concession that serves both pool users like to park.
New Wascana pool under construction.
Troy Charles
According to the press release, all structural work is complete with foundations, pool tanks, and buildings. Remaining work will continue through the summer and will focus on completion of the slide tower, trim, and fixtures.
“We wanted more than a status quo, a focus in the council is accessibility, we have taken it to the highest level. Now we can have people in wheelchairs swimming, not just watching. It creates a dynamic opportunity to meet everyone’s needs,” said Councilwoman Lori Bresciani.
One of the installations is a tactile map, as the installation has many shapes and curves and is not built in a straight line.
“A 3D tactile map at the front of the entrance for visually impaired people to understand where all the services are, without a guide or anything, once they have that understanding they can move to the site whenever they need to,” Eric de Wall, project facilities consultant for the City of Regina, said.
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The new Wascana pool will also have a wheelchair accessible slide.
“You can imagine if there is a child who is in a wheelchair, they cannot get on a slide. By building a slide with a ramp, they can get there. To transfer them to the slide, we have a raised platform with a gate, transfer them from the chair to the slide,” de Wall said.
There will be a wheelchair accessible water slide at the new Wascana pool.
Troy Charles
During construction, there were some obstacles in the way, such as moving around the site to avoid trees while digging.
“The spray deck has a water holding tank that needs to be buried underground. These are tree root systems, so we had to figure out the location where the tank can go,” de Wall said.
Bresciani said the new aquatic facility is long overdue and there is a shortage of pools in the city.
“Our pools are getting old; we know we have to replace them,” she said. “For sure this will be a place where people can come and enjoy the day with the family.”
Sixty-nine trees were pulled out of the ground and will be ground up and used on the roof of the facility building.
“We have said that we are going to match the 69 trees, three times for each tree, 207 trees will return to the park,” he said.
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