A large group turned out to a St. Boniface community barbecue yesterday, to show the city they don't want their local pool to close. 

Back in May 2018, the area's city councillor, Matt Allard, held a meeting with Norwood residents to tell them the pool was going to be decommissioned and shut down. At the time he wanted to know what people would want to replace it. 

They told him they wanted nothing but their pool, and asked him and city staff to work with them on coming up with a way to keep it open. 

One of the organizers of the group called "Save Norwood Pool" is Monique LaCoste, who says they had a preliminary meeting with city staff and have been assured the city will work with them to look at long-term options before considering anything else. 

"We're so excited with the way this whole campaign is going and with how the community has responded," LaCoste said. "This sends a message to the city that community services like outdoor pools are not a luxury, they're a necessity and we need to find a way to keep this one open." 

"They'll (the city) will do some preliminary costing and if any of the long-term options seem viable we might be able to get a feasibility study done in the winter."

The main issue with the pool is that ground water seeps in periodically, meaning it has to be shut down and cleaned multiple times a summer. 

LaCoste says she understands the city has financial issues moving forward and that it would be easier and more cost-effective to just shut the pool down. However, she's cautiously optimistic they can come up with a fix. 

"We're trying to work with them on a long-term solution which will cut on repair costs from year to year," LaCoste said. "It's daunting, but this community has made it very clear that closing it just isn't an option." 

Allard says work has already begun on a study to look at what can replace the pool if a solution isn't reached. The results of that study are expected in September, but Allard has asked his colleagues at city hall to file that away until they figure out if the pool can be fixed. 

"We know the pool as it stands is getting damaged every year," Allard said. "The latest idea we ran by city administration is would it be possibly to fill in the deep end so that doesn't happen, and we're waiting to see if that's in the realm of possibility." 

Allard says there is a motion that hasn't passed at the parks committee yet, which is asking city administration to look at potential fixes and if cash could be available for that. 

The next parks committee meeting is Sept. 3, 2018.