After operating for 38 years, the YWCA in Saskatoon has decided to close its pool.

This comes after the YWCA undertook a thorough review of the pool, the increasing operational costs and the required repairs and upgrades before making a decision.

CEO Cara Bahr says over the years, the usage of the pool has declined and it’s become clear there’s more of a need for other services such as employment and learning programs rather than aquatic needs.

Bahr says the cost of the repairs and upgrades would be north of a million dollars.

She adds it was a tough decision to make when it came to closing the pool.

“It was incredibly tough, we have a lot of loyal pool users, supporters and donors and, you know, we’ve been a part of aquatics community for so many years. We didn’t take it lightly. We did a thorough financial analysis and we just realized it wasn’t viable for us.”

The pool closure will allow the YWCA to create an employment and learning centre. Currently, the organization rents spaces elsewhere in the city to deliver those services.

Bahr says 98 per cent of pools in Canada are ran by the local municipality.

There’s no timeframe or cost estimate for employment and learning centre project at this time.