New learn-how-to-swim pool for kids being built at Park Royal mall
Park Royal shopping centre in West Vancouver is getting a new swimming pool, but this destination replacing a vacant retail unit is designed just for the kids. When it opens in Summer 2021, it will be Pedalheads’ first purpose-built pool.
Mike Chan, the spokesperson for Pedalheads, told Daily Hive Urbanized they are in the process of turning the former Fabricland space inside the mall near Winners into a facility that is specially designed to best teach young kids how to swim.
- See also:
“The pool is a custom-built teaching pool designed with homage to the lessons learned from our many years of teaching young children to swim,” said Chan in an email, noting that the organization began offering swim lessons in 1986 in existing pool facilities.
“We are ready to teach the babies, toddlers and children of the North Shore to be safe and competent swimmers so they can enjoy the many aquatic adventurous opportunities that living on the West Coast affords.”
Their Park Royal location, described as a “small and intimate learning environment,” will have a 5,700-sq-ft, state-of-the-art stainless pool with an L shape that increases shallow areas for optimal learning. The use of stainless steel also reduces bacteria growth, effectively establishing a more hygienic learning and swimming environment.
The depth gradually increases from 2.5 ft to 4 ft, and a small ledge around the perimeter allows kids to comfortably stand in deeper water.
For added learning comfort, the water temperatures will be exceptionally warm at about 32°C (90°F).
Other facilities entail on-deck showers, change rooms, and a viewing area for families.
The pool, built by Stainless Steel Pools and Spa in the Czech Republic, was recently shipped to Montreal, and is set to arrive in Vancouver by train. A team from the European company has already arrived in Vancouver to begin quarantine in order to assist with the pool’s installation scheduled in two weeks.
“We have been dreaming about building our own pool for 30 years and now it is finally happening,” continued Chan.
Pedalheads offers small swimming class sizes for more one-on-one attention, and the lessons last one hour to increase learning and practice time, compared to the 30-minute classes offered by most other programs at swim facilities.
For parents, the location at Park Royal provides them with the convenient option to shop or go to the gym while their children are learning how to swim.
In addition to the daily swim lessons, the pool can also be used as a venue for birthday parties and swim camps.
Pedalheads taught over 7,500 local children to swim at its existing pool locations in 2019. The organization is also known for offering outdoor recreation opportunities to kids on the North Shore.
Follow Channels and Categories