Some of the recreation facilities in the town of Carlyle will be able to reopen at various times over the next week as phase 4.2 of Saskatchewan's reopening slowly rolls out. One facility that they've had to keep closed, however, is their swimming pool.

Outdoor pools were allowed to open as part of phase 4.1 of the provincial reopening plan on Monday, but it did not do so, and town officials now say it won't open this summer. This, apparently, is not due to COVID-19 but rather due to structural issues.

"Unfortunately our swimming pool has decided not to open this year," said town Chief Administrative Officer Natalie Miller. "They've had some structural things come up and some guard staffing concerns. It just wasn't feasible. They'll work at getting that ready for next year."

Miller said the extra time with the pool closed helped them review some of the issues the pool was having. Between those problems and a lack of available lifeguards, the pool won't open this summer.  

The news from Carlyle wasn't all bad, however. Baseball season will be allowed to go forward now, thanks to the latest release from the province allowing sports to resume not only practices but games as well. 

"The baseball diamonds have opened," said Miller. "The board is looking to put together a season for whoever is interested in playing. The library is doing some renovations, they're doing some flooring upgrades, so they're not quite ready to open but hopefully, in the near future we'll have them back open."

More good news comes from the museum, which, according to Miller, also serves as the town's tourism booth. It will be allowed to open on June 29. And this Friday, the date that many pet owners in Carlyle have been waiting for will arrive at last as the off-leash dog park will officially open. 

"We have many people waiting to get in there," said Miller."We're happy to have it open." 

Miller said the only recreation facility they haven't been allowed to reopen just yet is their arenas. They, like the rest of Saskatchewan, are waiting on the provincial government to give the green light to reopen those. The town has also been forced to cancel their Canada Day plans due to COVID-19.