With the number of heat warnings, we’ve had this summer, Greater Moncton residents have flocked to the outdoor pools to stay cool.
YMCA Greater Moncton Senior Director of Aquatics at the Joey Doucet says it has been a busy summer so far, with the number of people visiting the two pools.
“We’re just slightly under 20,000 participants at Centennial this year, and just under 8000 at East End. Typically, over at Centennial on a warm day, you’re going to see anywhere between 600 and 700 throughout the day. We reached over 1000 on one warm day in July this year, but that’s for the full nine hours that we’re open. At the East end pool, you can run anywhere between 200 to 300 on a warm, sunny day.”
He adds they’re on track to exceed numbers from 2023.
With the pools being so busy, Doucet adds they’ve had to bring in more lifeguards to ensure swimming safety and to give the guards more of a break rotation to get them out of the hot sun.
“We’ve also added added an extra hour-long lap swim at Centennial on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, due to the high demand. We’ve noticed those numbers have increased from last year quite a bit. We’ve also added a senior time on Wednesday from 7 until 10, so seniors can enjoy the other part of the pool that’s not being used for the lap swim.”
If you’re looking to cool off, Doucet says the busier times at the pools are between 11 am and noon right up until midday.
