The Thames Park Pool may live to see another day, but there is a long road ahead to save it.
Members of the Community and Protective Services (CAPS) Committee voted Tuesday evening to have multiple reports brought forward on the possible future of the pool and to engage with the public to gather feedback on the site’s future.
The motion, put forward by Coun. David Ferreira, seeks a report from city staff by June on possible short-term solutions to have the pool open for the 2024 season, as staff say it is not possible to open Thames Pool this summer. The motion also asks for a more comprehensive report to be delivered sometime in 2024 on all options for the pool to be rebuilt or relocated.
Through the motion, committee members also asked for community engagement to be completed this year and next to gather residents’ thoughts on what to do with the location.
Ferreira brought the motion forward on behalf of Coun. Skylar Franke, as she is not a member of CAPS and cannot bring forward motions or vote. Thames pool is located in Franke’s ward.
“I don’t think we have enough information to make a permanent decision on this location,” said Franke during the committee meeting.
“I do think it’s unfair to the community to take away this treasured community spot without a clear path forward.”
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A report presented to committee members by city staff recommended having the Old South pool decommissioned. The report outlines the pool has experienced ongoing infrastructure problems. Due to its proximity to the Thames River and its location within the floodplain, the pool is “vulnerable to hydrogeologic forces, specifically flooding and groundwater.”
A consulting team completed a review of the pool in the fall of last year. The review outlines the pool has suffered a differential movement in the pool floor, failures in the piping systems and a loss of base support.
City staff listed five possible options for how to proceed with the pool. The first two options offer short-term solutions with either minor or extensive repairs costing between $375,000 and $600,000. The report to CAPS requested for the end of June will look further into options one and two.
The third and fourth options are for either rehabilitation or reconstruction of the pool, costing millions and taking over a year to complete. The fifth option — which was the recommendation by city staff — was for Thames Pool to be decommissioned and replaced with other recreation options like a splash pad.
Along with the regular CAPS committee members, several other councillors were in attendance, along with many people in the gallery supporting the Thames Pool staying open.
There has been large public pushback by residents to the idea of decommissioning the outdoor pool. A petition on change.org had over 3,600 signatures calling for the pool to remain open for future use.
Three-time Olympic medalist Maggie Mac Neil used the pool to train during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Mac Neil told Global News that she has been using the pool since she started swimming.
“It means so much to see the support for the pool,” Mac Neil said.
Mac Neil says she spoke with Mayor Josh Morgan about the importance of the pool and is hopeful a short-term solution will be finalized soon before a long-term solution is worked out.
Built in 1927, the Thames Park Pool is the city’s only 50-metre outdoor pool. Along with being the oldest and longest of the 11 outdoor pools in the city, it is also the busiest. The pool clocks in 25,000 visitors every year, nearly three times that of Stronach, London’s second-busiest outdoor pool.
The pool was renovated in 1959 and then redeveloped entirely in 2010 at a cost of $4.6 million. The 2010 job was expected to last several decades, but it didn’t even last one decade until more repairs were needed. Since 2016, the pool has had annual repairs costing over $238,000 in total.
The motion passed by the CAPS committee will be brought forward to regular council on April 4.
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