‘It’s a huge anchor for the community.’ Courtice rec centre reopens week after car crashes into pool

Thestar.com
Feb. 6, 2019
Jennifer O’Meara

Exactly one week after a vehicle sped through the building and plunged into the pool, the Courtice Community Complex reopened its temporary doors Friday.

Residents were quick to reclaim their recreation facility -- using the fitness training centre, 55+ active adults area, recreation programming and the Clarington Public Library Courtice branch.

“It’s a community centre, it’s well used,” said Jim Boate, who cycles to the fitness facility every morning for a workout but happened to take the day off the morning the car came through the building.

“It’s a huge anchor for the community and you don’t realize how much you’ll miss it until it’s gone.”

A small red car drove past the bollards outside the recreation centre on Jan. 25, narrowly missing a pedestrian. It crashed through the front doors, went across the building’s lobby, down the viewing stairs and through the glass window, ending up in the children’s wading pool around 8:40 a.m.

The driver, a 36-year-old woman, was later charged with dangerous operation of a conveyance; mischief/damage to property endangering life and mischief/damage to property over $5,000. She was apprehended under the Mental Health Act and held for a bail hearing.

The two lifeguards on the pool deck responded quickly, clearing the swimmers out of the pool and then were the first to get to the driver in the partially submerged car. Staff working at the front desk were quick to call in the emergency.

“The lifeguards that were on deck responded just fantastic and deserve a lot of credit,” said Clarington’s director of community services Joe Caruana, who added counselling is being offered to staff.

“That’s what lifeguards do, they’re prepared for the unexpected and they’re prepared for the traumatic. And they responded 150 per cent.”

In the aftermath, the Clarington fire department, municipal staff and Bob’s Towing worked together to build ramps and get the car out of the wading pool the same way it went in.

Clarington Community Services worked with a contractor to create a temporary entrance -- now connected to the power doors button and accessible -- to allow most services to resume in the building.

“We are delighted to have the Courtice Branch open again,” Clarington Public Library Board chair Steven Cooke said via email.

“The library is a popular destination utilized by a large cross-section of our community. We truly appreciate the efforts of municipal staff in getting the complex open as soon as possible.”

Caruana said most residents have been incredibly patient with the closure and were very supportive of staff as they worked to get the facility reopened. Some regular patrons were greeting staff with hugs on the first morning the building reopened.

“Staff have really pulled together. To me they’re the greatest staff in the (municipality),” Caruana said. “Quite frankly, I’m proud of all my staff.”

When the Courtice Community Complex, on Courtice Rd. near Highway 2, reopened there were large landscaping boulders placed between the bollards. The flat-topped boulders are staggered to keep the entrance accessible for wheelchairs but to block a vehicle.

“It was important to us to make sure that we had a physical barrier there. Certainly part of the concerns we have now is trying to regain the confidence of the public,” Caruana said. “We installed those to make sure that particular incident certainly couldn’t happen again.”

The pools have not yet reopened. When the cleanup began, Clarington staff found pieces of broken glass in both pools and across the deck, even 30 metres away by the far wall around the water slide. Both the tot and adult swimming pools were drained and the pool systems flushed to make sure they were operational and glass free.

“We want to make sure when we get the public back in that they’re 100 per cent safe,” Caruana said.

Work has begun to refill, heat and treat the pools to get them ready for public use -- a process that can take five days according to the municipality. No exact date has been given, but the Courtice pools could reopen for swimmers before mid-February. Programs will resume when the pool reopens and make-up swim classes will be scheduled.

“Now it’s all about making up classes and getting people back in,” Caruana said.

The insurance claim process to hire a contractor to repair the pool viewing area and install new permanent doors may take some time.