Kingston, Ont., residents welcome prospect of second year-round pool

In response to the pressing need for additional pool space in Kingston, city council has taken steps to address the shortage.

Pool users have expressed frustration at their limited options, with Artillery Park currently serving as the sole municipally-owned indoor pool operating year-round for leisure swimming, lessons, and other programs.

“If you don’t book well in advance, sometimes they run out of space,” said Brittany O’Neill, who swims at Artillery Park. “We usually come for the free swim. I have tried to register for swim lessons before but I was not quick enough.”

To tackle this issue, city council passed a motion this week to enclose the Culligan Water Park next to the Memorial Centre, which will keep it open year-round.

Lanie Hurdle, the city’s chief administrative officer, outlined the anticipated benefits. “We’ll be able to add regular programs space, and we anticipate this will create about 1,100 swim spaces in terms of participation,” she said.

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The projected $25-million cost for the enclosure includes the construction of walls around the water park and the installation of large windows throughout. Currently, the park is only open for a maximum of three months per year.

The prospect of a year-round facility has generated excitement among nearby residents. “My wife and I have kids, and they’ve been asking to go swimming this season,” said David Torres. “We don’t know where to go, so this is going to be amazing.”

Paula Reynolds echoed this sentiment, saying, “There’s lots of kids out and about all the time. A lot of new families with kids who probably haven’t had the opportunity to do swimming lessons, so I think it’ll be good.”

In addition to the enclosure of the Culligan Water Park, city council voted in favour of commissioning a $3-million study to explore the feasibility of constructing a $100-million aquatic centre on the front lawn of the Invista Centre Multiplex. However, officials acknowledge that this project could be years away and would require funding from other levels of government.

Regarding the Culligan Water Park renovations, the city has developed a vision and will soon send it out to tender. While the pool will remain open this summer, it will be closed for the 2025 season to reopen sometime in 2026.