Dear editor:

As we were made aware of last year, this was to be the final summer for the St. Davids pool as designs were being prepared for a new facility. We were prepared to have the pool closed after this summer. 

However, the recent decision not to open the St. Davids Community Pool this summer left many families without their much needed and loved recreational facility. 

Although very disappointing, this early closure due to the pandemic does create a tremendous opportunity for the pool’s future. By not opening the pool could not the money allocated for this year’s operational costs be diverted to help fund the new facility?  These funds could then be used to decommission the existing pool this year. Also, by tendering now for the demolition of the existing pool and facilities this would accelerate the construction schedule by up to a year. 

While awaiting a decision on provincial funding and grants, the architects and engineers could proceed with the final design and contract documents. With a little imagination, the consultants could incorporate contingencies into these documents to align with the final government funding amount. This would the allow for a spring tender and an early 2021 summer construction start. 

It is very easy to respond with the standard array of excuses such as, “yea, but…”, or “what about..”, or “we can’t because…”, but the reality is YES YOU CAN! What is necessary is a little hard work, imagination, creativity, and some decisive leadership. 

We understand that the mayor and council are dealing with serious issues at the present time with the pandemic that have seriously affected our town, however these are not valid excuses for brushing this aside and not addressing this matter.

I would encourage our residents to phone, email, contact the mayor and councilors in order to provide some positive encouragement. They need to hear our voices. 

Richard Sammons

St. Davids