After years of planning, fundraising and construction, Wilkie residents finally dove into their new community swimming pool earlier this month.
The facility officially opened Aug. 6, a milestone Parks and Recreation Director Lori Fenrich says was long-awaited.
“Construction started last August, and they built much up into the fall,” Fenrich said. “They came back around February and continued on and completed the build for the actual pool, and the pool building was being worked on through the winter months.”
The project was supported by federal and provincial funding through the ICIP grant, along with additional contributions from the town and local fundraising.
She noted there were some challenges during the build, including moving a gas main and delays in receiving equipment. “We opened without [locker room lockers], as they can be installed later. They’ll be installed sometime this fall,” she said.
Despite the setbacks, Fenrich said the pool has already drawn visitors from well beyond the community. “The new facility is absolutely fantastic and we’ve had numerous people come from out of town. Many people are coming from outside the community to check out the new pool.”
The pool’s first season wrapped up this week, as many student staff members returned to school. “Unfortunately when you have a facility ran by high school and college students, they all needed to basically get moving, and we ran out of employees,” Fenrich said.
A formal grand opening will be held around June 2026, once all finishing touches are complete.
Fenrich also credited volunteers who helped reduce costs, including the Wilkie Community Club, members of town council and the Wilkie and District Fire Association.