OK. After this column, I will find something else to write about other than the facility project. I promise. It’s just that it is such a large project (biggest that the Regional District of Central Kootenay has ever done), it can be used by everyone and it will have an ongoing impact to the community from this time forward. Subsequently, I thought I’d share some of the immediate impact we have seen to date.

First of all, it’s busy and it’s going to get busier. The 40 or so of you aquafit and lap swimmers that have been patiently waiting to get checked in and wristbanded early mornings will attest to that and by the way, we thank you for your patience and are looking at ways to speed things up and get you wetter sooner. As with any new business, we prepped ourselves as best as possible for various scenarios and will assess and react when something new or unexpected comes along, as it invariably will.

To give you an idea of the difference between indoor and outdoor, I just glanced out there and saw 25 or 30 patrons in the gentle aquafit class doing circuit training in various parts of the pool including resistance walking in the lazy river. There was also a group of what looked to be five- or six-year-olds taking a swim lesson right next to the 50- or 60-year-olds (I try and be really careful when quoting ages) while a private lesson or two took place in the lap pool alongside regular lap swimmers swimming north and south. There wasn’t a corner that didn’t have someone in there and the age range was phenomenal.

Remember when we introduced wristbands last year? For those of you that weren’t crazy about it, this demonstrates why we had to go to such a system; there are so many people who do so many varied activities, we have to track you somehow and the whole idea of the microchip in the forearm seemed doomed to failure.

To give you an idea of pass sales, in the past three weeks since we opened the new facility, we have sold over 400 membership passes (a pass can be a 10-punch pass, one month, three months, six months or a year). The largest number has been the 10-punch pass with close to 200, with many people telling us they wanted to try things out first before they graduate to a longer pass (and they have indicated they will). The next in line are senior one-year passes with over 50 sold and you just have to look in the pool during aquafit or gentle aquafit to see that the majority are really using them. Adults follow closely behind with just about 40, and children, students and family make up the balance — remember, this is for a three-week period!

That being said, I have also seen a number of people use the facility that weren’t on the positive side of the ledger when the referendum took place. Personally, I respect their initial decision, as well as appreciate the fact that they still come to take advantage of the benefits the facility has to offer — ultimately, we are all paying for it. As mentioned in my last column, our job is to get as many people involved in using the complex as well as manage it in a fiscally responsible manner — although this may mean shorter operating hours in certain areas of the complex, we constantly assess the demand and the feasibility of tweaking times once enough interest to offset the additional operating costs exists. I’m sure no one would argue that it is better to start conservatively and expand with adequate demand rather than to start cutting back once the practicality of a program no longer exists.

Hey, that almost sounds like a statement by Confucius. Speaking of quotes, Stephen Wright asks, “If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do all the rest have to drown too?”

Neil Ostafichuk is the recreation supervisor at the Creston and District Community Complex.