W.J. Henderson pool to remain closed while Loyalist Township considers its future

The pool at the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre in Amherstview is well past its service life at 47 years old, and the problems are piling up.

Loyalist Township council met Tuesday night to decide what to do moving forward about the increasingly problematic W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre pool.

Council decided Tuesday to keep the pool closed while it considers options.

The pool has been closed since March 9 due to multiple chemistry and infrastructure issues.

Council convened for a special meeting to figure out what to do about the pool, which has a growing laundry list of problems.

Since closing in early March, even more serious issues have floated to the surface.

A staff report said that there’s cracking in the basin, leading to water leaking under the pool causing erosion, among other known issues.

The report said the pool has experienced “frequent failures” since 2014 and calls short-term repairs a “band-aid solution.”

“In the last five years we have spent an excess of $420,000 on repairs,” said Kari Lambe, recreation and facilities manager. “That is above and beyond what we would consider normal operating or maintenance of the facility.”