Crowds gathered for final swim as Edmonton’s 65-year-old Scona Pool closes its doors for good

It was an emotional afternoon for Edmontonians who had a passion and love for the iconic Scona pool — which closed its doors for good on Sunday after 65 years in business.

“It’s been a heck of a lot of fun,” Scona Swim Team head coach Kirby Feng said.

In August, council voted to permanently close the decades-old facility after a report found it needed ongoing costly repairs and had significant system failures.

It also pointed out that there are three other City of Edmonton pools within five kilometres of Scona Pool: Bonnie Doon, Confederation and Kinsmen.

A commute that poses a problem for some that live nearby.

“It’s tough for people in this community and area to see it close. They have long association with the pool, it’s been very easy for them to get to the pool, and now to access aquatic activities, they have to go further,” Edmonton Public Schools Ward F trustee Julie Kusiek said of the community pool.

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“It will be a little bit of a barrier and there are some people with mobility issues who really aren’t able to go anywhere else,” Elaine Solez, with Friends of Scona Rec, added on the issues this closure may cause.

Ward Papastew Coun. Michael Janz said while the closure is a loss to the community, people will eventually be able to swim at Rollie Miles Leisure Centre.

“Looking forward, our goal is to get a new rec centre, a replacement rec centre on the other side here and that’s moving well on its way with city council,” Janz said.

But, it’s a project that’s still years away from completion.

“We were hoping Scona Pool could stay open until the new rec centre was built — and the new rec centre is currently in the design phase,” Solez said. “So it’s a minimum of three years, but we have no end date at this point.”