Moncton closes the city's only outdoor pool

Monctons only outdoor pool is closed for the summer because the aging facility is leaking about 100,000 litres of water a day.

The outdoor pool at the Moncton East Youth Centre has been a destination for young people to cool off during the summer. But the 40-year-old pool is now essentially empty except for a stagnant puddle in the deep end.

Pikey French, the youth centres executive director, said she wants to know what the city plans to do to replace the pool.

She said the city budgeted $1 million last year to provide a pool for the kids inMonctons east end.

We were told the pool would either be repaired or replaced and now we're sitting here with nothing and nobody seems to have an answer as to what is going on, French said.

Last year, French said she heard the pool may be replaced with a splash pad.

Moncton has a splash park at Centennial Park, wading pools at Alexander and Parkview parks and 10 "water splash features" at different public parks around the city.

Deputy Mayor Shawn Crossman said city engineers are looking at whether the youth centres pool can be fixed or if the city should build a new facility.

I'd prefer to build a new one based on the shape the current pool is in and the estimates I'm getting back, there's a lot of leakage underneath the pool, he said.

Crossman also said a new pool may not be built in the same location.

"There are other spots that we're currently looking at,"he said.

"As you know, we have a lot of youth in that area and as I said last year, this is very key for them."

Crossman said it's going to be tough for some kids this summer to keep cool but he hopes to have a brand new pool opening next summer.