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Saga of the Sparwood hot tub nears it’s end (?)

The popular amenity in the Sparwood Leisure Centre has been out of commission a lot over the last 18 months
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The troublesome Sparwood Leisure Centre hot tub (pictured) has been nickle-and-diming the district for too long, so its time is up as of 2022. (Image courtesy of District of Sparwood)

The saga of the Sparwood hot tub may be coming to an end, with the district setting its sights on replacing the troublesome amenity this year.

The hot tub at the Sparwood Leisure Centre has proven a thorn on the side of the district for over two years, with the popular tub going out of commission on multiple occasions (for a cumulative total of six months) due to various problems with water lines and their inaccessibility to fix.

Sparwood Mayor David Wilks mused that when the hot tub was built in the 1980s (when the Leisure Centre was built), “there must have been a sale on cement,” as each problem that arose required several feet of concrete to be dug through.

Those problems were fixed last year after lengthy closures – but alas, it’s out of service again, with the pump failing at the beginning of 2022. Since Jan. 6 it has been closed to the public, and won’t re-open until a new pump has been located, purchased and delivered.

Things are looking good on that front, with a new pump on the way, but Wilks said it was proving to be too much, and a full rebuild or replacement was on the cards.

A placeholder budget of $275,000 was signed off on for 2022 to explore possibilities, and by the looks of it an all-new tub with easier-to-access lines and infrastructure is the way to go.

According to Sparwood’s director of community services, Lyle Hannan, “the concept we are pursuing is a prefabricated hot tub placed on the pool deck with lines being fed in a manner that avoids underground installation. If feasible, this would avoid major demolition, mitigate issues for ongoing maintenance, and streamline installation,” he said.

Wilks said that the expense was worth it, given the cumulative costs of keeping the tub open over the last 12 months has been around $30,000, not including a lot of staff time along with the cost of a lost amenity for locals.

“Not only is it frustrating for staff … its frustrating for the public too,” said Wilks.

Locals can expect detail on what’s happening in the next few months as plans come to fruition. There’s no timeline yet on when a new tub will be completed, but the existing tub should be working again (assuming no more problems in the meantime) in a few weeks.

When works on the new tub are completed, Sparwood locals will hopefully be able to marinate in the tub uninterrupted for years to come.

READ MORE: Work set to begin repairing Coal Creek Road



scott.tibballs@thefreepress.ca
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