Save The Dive Tank at the Silver Springs Pool!

Let's give the youth of our neighborhood a safe, supervised and fun place to go in the summer.

The local pool is safe, fun and affordable. Give these youth somewhere cool to be this summer so they learn to be independant and productive during the summer months.

To the City of Calgary

We are writing to you regarding the City of Calgary’s planned renovation of the Silver Springs Outdoor Pool in spring 2013.  Specifically we wish to express our disappointment in the City’s decision to replace the dive tank and diving board with a zero-entry wading pool, and to request that the City reconsider this decision.

According to the 2011 Census Profile for Calgary, there were 13,080 youth aged 5-19 years living in Silver Springs, Scenic Acres, Ranchlands, Hawkwood, Varsity, Bowness, Arbour Lake and Citadel, compared with 3,415 children aged 0-4 years.  While we commend the City for developing a number of spray parks and wading pools over the last 10 years in order to better serve families with young children, we are of the view that such improvements should not be made at the expense of all other demographics, particularly given the numbers involved.  Youth aged 5 to 19 years also need and deserve places to spend their summer days engaging in healthy, physical, social activity.  Until now, the Silver Springs outdoor pool and dive facilities have provided these opportunities under the supervision of trained professional life guards.    In providing the dive facilities, the City of Calgary has supported a group of youth at a time of year and at a stage of development when they are most vulnerable. 

We understand that cost has been a significant factor in the City’s decision; that dive tanks are significantly more expensive than wading pools to build and operate.  We are concerned, however, that there will be non-financial costs to our youth and to our communities in general that are associated with removing the outdoor dive facilities.  There are no other outdoor dive tanks in the Northwest, and there aren’t many other facilities in the City currently that cater to youth between 5 and 19, which leaves this group without a positive outlet through the summer months.   

We would suggest that there may be other options available to accommodate youth without incurring the costs of the dive tank.  By way of example, other facilities include a 1 metre dive board at the deep end of a 25 metre pool, or a dive platform and a rope swing, which are segregated by ropes when diving is taking place.   Other options may also be available, which would provide a lower cost alternative to removing the diving facilities completely.

We, as users of the Silver Springs outdoor Pool, are also disappointed with the lack of community input that was sought by the City as it developed its plans for this renovation.  We are aware that the Community Association was informed of the City’s plans in the late autumn of 2012, but residents were not given any opportunity to provide input before these plans were completed. 

A renovation to this facility is clearly needed.  However we would ask that the City consider all points of view, especially by those who actually use the Silver Springs outdoor pool before making a final decision that could negatively impact a very large group of young people. 

Thank you.