Sherbrook Pool closure worries community group

The sudden closure of Winnipeg's Sherbrook Pool, and silence from the city about what is wrong, has worried a community group that has raised millions of dollars for the facility.

The group Friends of the Sherbrook Pool(FSP) is concernedthere could be seriousissues behind theabrupt closure, such asstructural problems.

FSP spokesman John Hutton says people were swimming there on Thursday when they were ordered out of the pool and told to leave immediately.

The citydid not provide a specific reason for the closure when asked by CBC News.

But in a release issued late Monday, the city said Sherbrook Pool will stay closed for a while "to allow for a detailed structural engineering assessment."

An outside engineering firm will help city staff assess the facility, which was closed on Thursday due to "concerns arising from an inspection," according to the city's news release.

The FSP, which raised $5 million dollars in the 1990s to fix the building,is concerned the city will use the current problem as an excuse to close the 80-year-old facility.

"Even if the city were to say they think they have to close the pool, we would say we want a second opinion. Let's take a look at that. We are not just a community group, we're a partner with the city," Hutton said.

Heis upset the city did not contact the group about the closure until this weekend.

Fall aquatics classes that were running at Sherbrook Pool have been relocated to other venues, according to the city.

The Cindy Klassen Recreation Complex and Eldon Ross Pool will have more aquatics offerings in the winter session.