Stories from Tri-City News headlines of decades past is a recurring feature as the publication marks its 40th anniversary in 2024.
Two years after its closure in 1993, neighbours of Coquitlam’s Glen Park were still fighting to get the old outdoor pool reopened.
While many admitted they made frequent use of the new City Centre Aquatic Centre (CCAC) nearby, they said the lavish indoor facility just wasn’t the same as cooling off at the outdoor pool on a hot summer’s day.
“It’s sweltering in there,” said one mom of the CCAC.
“You don’t swim inside in the summer,” said another.
Though petitions and entreaties to Coquitlam council hadn’t achieved a reversal of the decision to close Glen pool, residents were encouraged the facility hadn’t yet been torn out or decommissioned in any way.
In fact, the change rooms were still being used by the Coquitlam Meraloma Bulldogs rugby team.
Some pointed to the outdoor pool at Rochester Park, which was reopened after being closed for four years, an idea bolstered by Coquitlam’s leisure and parks director, Barry Elliott. He said no outdoor pool in the city is able to cover more than 20 per cent of its operating costs so any closure is a “political decision.”
The Tri-City News has covered civic affairs, local crime, festivals, events, personalities, sports and arts in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody since 1983. Bound back issues of the paper are available at the Coquitlam Archives, while digital versions of several past years can be found at issuu.com.
