Prince Albert Daily Herald
After 44 years of operation, the Marion Aquatics Centre will close its doors on June 30.
The Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, who have operated the pool since it opened in 1977, announced the decision in a joint media release with the City of Prince Albert on Monday.
Sr. Lise Paquette, the provincial superior of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, said the pool has been a huge benefit for all who used it, but Sisters didn’t have the resources to keep it open.
“It is a difficult decision,” Paquette said during a phone interview on Tuesday. “We are sad to let it go, and yet, it is time to do it. We’ve carried this institution for many years, and sometimes, with a good thing, you have to let it go at the right time.”
She said the club is considering renting pool space in Saskatoon or North Battleford, but also holding out hope the city will find a way to keep Marion Aquatics open, at least until the new recreation complex opens. The city hopes to cut the ribbon on that facility in the fall of 2023.
“We just really need to find a solution because we certainly don’t want this to be the end of the Pikes,” she said.
Schlamp also emphasized the club’s gratitude to the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary for the 44 years they operated the well-loved facility.
Sister Lise Paquette says the Sisters hope a new potential buyer of the former Rivier School will continue to use the facility to serve the city.
The Sisters of the Presentation of Mary and the City of Prince Albert have announced the closure of the Marion Aquatics Centre in Prince Albert on June 30.
Construction of the pool was completed in 1977 and was opened as a way to offer affordable access and broad public use of the facility to the community. The City of Prince Albert has contributed annually to the maintenance of the pool since 2018 which has subsidized both the Sisters’ contributions and the modest user fee charged to the public. COVID-19 restrictions have “significantly curtailed those revenues,” and the Sisters’ have decided now is the time to stop operations, reported the City of P.A. in a media release.