Angela Coughlan Pool closing for renovations March 18 to create a more inclusive change room space

The Angela Coughlan Pool, at Upper Middle Road and Guelph Line, will be closing as of March 18 to accommodate a major renovations project that will take it to the spring of 2020. Some pool programs and staffing will be shifted to other locations to help with local demand.If you're looking to speak to city staff and the project's architects, a public information session discussing the plans and for public feedback is set for Wednesday, Jan. 16 at Angela Coughlan Pool, from 7-9 p.m.Change Room RenovationThe City of Burlington is working towards providing equal rights, respect and dignity through access and privacy. The inclusive change space will provide fully-private change and/or shower areas for everyone, removing the need for designated "Men's" and "Women's" change rooms.The inclusive change space will offer:

• Fully-private change and shower areas with seating and hooks for hanging personal items; and
• Common areas open to everyone where clothing is mandatory.

Similar renovations have taken place in centres in other municipalities, such as the Calgary YMCA, Sudbury Valley area, University of Guelph and Saskatchewan schools."We are fortunate that our pool facilities already have a family/universal change room concept where everyone is welcome to use for their own personal comfort," says Chris Glenn, Director of Parks and Recreation. "The proposed inclusive change space for Angela Coughlan Pool builds on this concept, allowing everyone to have comfort and privacy while changing. We want to remove any barriers to participation and know that personal comfort is very important to many. This is a new and exciting concept to Burlington that just makes good sense."The inclusive space is designed to allow for clear sight-lines down all the isles from the pool deck, as well as from the community centre hallway for maximum safety. This will do away with the open change room concept, as all changing will take place in private stalls — all common areas will be clothing-mandatory.Common areas include shared amenities, such as: lockers; rinse stations; sinks and counter space; mirrors; and wall-mounted hair-dryers and bathing suit spinners.

The renovations will install 31 private change areas made up of:

• 24 private change stalls;
• five private change areas with showers;
• two accessible change stalls with roll-in private showers and adult change tables; and
• four private washrooms with sinks.

In addition to the change rooms, the nearly, year-long renovation project will also provide necessary repairs and upgrades to Angela Coughlan Pool to create a more efficient, up-to-date and modern facility, including:

• Partial pool deck replacement around the lap pool;
• Retiling of the lap-pool deck;
• Lap pool tank repairs;
• Replace HVAC and upgrade dehumidification system;
• New LED lighting; and
• Plumbing improvements.