At the end of April, the city launched a partnership with the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario.
Under the one-year pilot program at the Family YMCA of St. Thomas-Elgin at 20 High Street, city residents will have access to indoor aquatics programs during the months that Jaycees Pool is closed. The city facility is traditionally open all of July and August.
St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston explains.
The passes will be offered at city rates with proof of St. Thomas residency required at the time of purchase. They will be available to purchase at the pool.
The development of a concept plan for a community/aquatic centre for St. Thomas was completed in December 2021.
The city continues to seek funding sources as Mayor Joe Preston has conceded , “there is no way we can do this all on our own.”
However, the new partnership is being touted as a step forward.
Preston added, “This is about us starting to work together in a cooperative way on an aquatic facility.
“If this in itself carries forward, we know where we can look in the future. This is a great start to get affordability for all of St. Thomas to be able to use the Y facility.”
Andrew Lockie, CEO of YMCA of Southwestern Ontario agrees a partnership is “the right way to go and we know that will have long-term positive impacts in the community.”
Lockie added, “This is unique. We do have municipal partnerships all across southwestern Ontario and we’ve learned that partnerships with municipalities are mutually beneficial.”
For more information on the program and purchasing aquatics passes, visit http://ymcaswo.ca or http://www.stthomas.ca
