Kitimat public facilities remain closed nearly 1 month after strike
Summer is here and parents are scrambling to find ways to keep their kids busy, especially in Kitimat.
Temperatures this weekend are expected to climb into the mid-30s, but residents won't be able to cool down at the aquatic centre, wading pools or the most popular campgrounds.
Staff with the City of Kitimat have had trouble keeping up with regular maintenance since returning almost one month ago from a 102-day strike.
"They're doing the best they can with the amount of backlog there is," said Kitimat Mayor Phil Germuth.
"We had quite a number of watermains that broke during the strike. That's an obvious priority, that those have to get done first."
Aquatic centre to reopen by end of month
The city hopes to have the pool open the week of July 27, said Germuth.
The pool has already been cleaned and filled, but crews are waiting on a replacement piece of equipment used to chlorinate the pool.
Germuth says that part should arrive by the middle of next week, but the city will then have to send water samples to the health department, which could take a week to be analyzed.
After that, it will take approximately four days to recertify all life guards.
Campgrounds and wading pools
Radley Park, a a 40-unit campground on the western bank of the Kitimat River, is expected to open the week of July 10 with a new washroom facility.
The cleanup of the park is almost complete, and the trees damaged during the "big snowmaggedon storm" earlier this winter have been taken care of, Germuth said.
The wading pools should be open the week of July 20.
Despite having nearly an entire month go by since the strike ended, Germuth says he hasn't heard very many complaints.
"People have been extremely patient. They've been just excellent, I must say."
To hear the full interview with Kitimat Mayor Phil Germuth, listen to the audio labelled: Kitimat pools and campgrounds still closed.
