People using the local pool could soon be diving into some savings.
Timmins council is considering offering weekly sponsored swims and increasing the age of those who always swim for free to three years old and under.
The goal is to have one free public swim on Friday nights and a free seniors' swim during the week. The swims would be paid for by corporate sponsors, including the City of Timmins and start in September when the pool at the Archie Dillon Sportsplex reopens after its annual shutdown.
Coun. Bill Gvozdanovic is behind the push.
For the past 15 years, he's been at the pool three days a week and has "seen the evolution of the pool and what goes on there."
His son, Brock, started going to the pool at eight years old. Now in his 20s, he's still swimming.
"We want to start them young, introduce them, get them into our lessons where we make money and then they become life-long members of aquatics,” Gvozdanovic.
By allowing people to have one free swim a week, he said it may also let them get in a second one that they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford.
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Community swims held at the Archie Dillon Sportsplex pool usually bring in $500 to $800 per swim. The Friday night swim is being suggested because it's typically not as busy as other times.
Coun. Lorne Feldman supports anything the city can do to help all residents take part in recreational activities.
He's gone to the pool for the last 35 years and talked about Brock swimming with the Timmins Marlins and going to swim meets.
"It’s just a tremendous thing to see and I’d like to see that occur with hundreds of young people," said Feldman.
"To the point of making it more affordable, I have gone to the pool a number of years, I’ve observed a lot of seniors who use that pool time as their social nourishment. In the last number of years with everything that has occurred, price increases, the pool’s not immune to that. Many of my colleagues and friends who go the pool have stopped going because they’re on a fixed income and it’s not affordable for them."
No decision was made on the item at the meeting. A resolution will be brought back to the next council meeting for council to discuss further and vote on.
