On Friday afternoon, the much-maligned Laurier pool held an opening ceremony, officially deeming it back in operation after being closed since early June for renovations. The poolโs future was a topic of great uncertainty last year, as it came close to being permanently shut down when it appeared as though there would be insufficient funds to make the necessary repairs.
Through joint efforts from the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, the Region of Waterloo (ROW) swim club, the federal and provincial governments and the students of Wilfrid Laurier University, the $4.2 million required was raised and the pool underwent extensive construction that will extend the facilityโs life by 15-20 years.
Every speaker who made remarks at the ceremony โ which included president of Laurier Max Blouw, Laurierโs director of athletics and recreation Peter Baxter, Kitchener-Waterlooโs Member of Parliament Peter Braid, WLUSU president Laura Sheridan and mayor of Waterloo Brenda Halloran โ spoke about how vital the theme of partnership was to the projectโs success.
This project really shows the incredible power of partnership,โ said Baxter. โYou really canโt do something of this magnitude on your own anymore, and to see everything come together the way it did is just terrific to see, not only for the Laurier community, but for the entire community of Kitchener-Waterloo.โ
The poolโs re-opening comes as a massive relief to the Laurier swim team, who had relocated their practices to alternative facilities such as the University of Waterloo, Henry Class Pool in Kitchener and the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.
โIt was definitely difficult for the team. When youโre swimming at five in the morning, itโs pretty difficult to get down to Kitchener or even to UW,โ said Laurierโs head coach Nandi Kormendi, who is also the head coach of ROW. โBeing in our home facility will just make everything so much more accessible for our athletes, which is huge because they already have enough on their minds.โ
Kormendi also discussed the effect the improved facility will have on the teamโs recruiting.
โIn the past couple years itโs been difficult to recruit because [former coach Dean Boles] would have to tell potential recruits that he couldnโt promise there would be a swim program,โ he said. โNow we have a pool thatโs as good as any other universityโs going to be offering in Canada. Thatโs a huge bonus, not just for recruiting, but for personal pride.โ