Relief is in store for multipass holders of the Drumheller Aquaplex and Badlands Community Facility (BCF). 
As of Wednesday, November 20, Aquaplex and multipass holders will have “at least 20 days added to active membership passes in recognition of the service interruptions,” read a press release from the Town of Drumheller.
At the November 12 meeting of the Committee of the Whole, Town Council directed administration to research options to compensate those who purchased multipasses after numerous complaints.
“I’ve spoken with a lot of people who were upset. First in relation to the Aquaplex users, because we didn’t give them a lot of notice before closing. Then, I started talking with people who have multipasses and they’re saying the same thing. They might not use the pool a lot, but they have paid for the use of the building and a locker,” said Councillor Tom Zariski.
The Aquaplex shut its doors on November 4 for a much needed upgrade to its air handling unit. Typically, those who purchased an Aquaplex pass will have their passes extended for the same amount of time the pool is closed. Aquaplex passes are also being accepted at the BCF.
However, multipass holders were not given similar consideration. Council asked something to be done.
“If we close the pool for a couple days to repair something, that’s not a problem and I think people understand that. If you close it for a couple months, when people in good faith have put out a fair amount of money, people need to be compensated,” said Zariski.
Concerns were raised that failing to compensate multipass users during the closure would lead to those users either not purchasing a multipass or simply forgoing purchasing any pass altogether.
The Town considered various options to compensate pass holders.Some ideas to compensate multipass holders included extending their passes, offering day passes to friends or family, or discounts upon renewal.
However, the damage may have already been done. Some multipass holders have already decided to not renew their multipass.
“When my pass comes up for renewal, I will not be getting a multi-pass again. I will just get a pool pass. It’s just not worth it. It’s not like I can increase my visits to the BCF to compensate for my lost swim times, because I would injure myself. They are different kinds of exercise. Swimming eight times a week is fine. But there is no way I could go to the gym to workout eight plus times a week,” said David Lloyd, a dedicated Aquaplex user. “I can workout at home. I can’t swim at home.”
