Due to ongoing mechanical issues and as the annual maintenance period approaches, the City of Victoria has announced the closure of the Crystal Pool recreation centre until the new year.
On Friday, Nov 22, the city's director of parks, recreation, and facilities Derrick Newman explained that the Nov. 12 closure started with a mechanical issue with the pool's filtration system.
"We're still waiting on parts to complete those repairs," said Newman. "Our regular, scheduled annual maintenance period that goes for the full month of December, is coming up, and we've made the decision to close the facility ... in order to focus on completing the repairs and the balance of our annual maintenance work."
During the closure, Crystal Pool memberships will be accepted at all partner facilities including in Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, the West Shore, the Panorama Recreation Centre, SeaParc and the downtown YMCA.
"The pool is more than 50 years old, and it's getting more challenging to repair. And the other thing is, finding parts for these old systems is getting increasingly harder to do, as is evidenced by the delay in us being able to procure and receive these parts," Newman explained.
The facility will remain closed throughout the holiday seson, but Newman says it should reopen in January.
