Fort Saskatchewan to include barrier-free change room at local pool

Planning is underway to construct a barrier-free change room at Harbour Pool in Fort Saskatchewan.

The facility already has a men’s and women’s change room.

The barrier-free area will cater to those who have accessibility issues or require assistance when changing.

“It’s important because more people can access the facility. We have a population that comes here and requires assistance to change,” said aquatics operations supervisor Lindsay Poitras.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's important because more people can access the facility. We have a population that comes here and requires assistance to change," said aquatics operations supervisor Lindsay Poitras.

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The change room will also be gender-neutral.

The change room, the first of its kind in Fort Saskatchewan, would be similar to a family change room, just with larger, more private change stalls and bathroom stalls.

“We just wanted to have a more open experience for everyone at the facility,” Poitras said. “Allowing more people to access the change room will do that.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We just wanted to have a more open experience for everyone at the facility," Poitras said. "Allowing more people to access the change room will do that."

The need for such a space was identified during a recreation planning study in 2015.

Work is expected to begin this fall and is the new change room is expected to be completed sometime next year.