A couple of local mayors are disappointed a summer of swimming was lost at the Varney Pond, and there’s still little sense about when it could re-open.
The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority closed the pond earlier this year, citing safety and environmental concerns. Acting General Manager and Secretary Treasurer Erik Downing says the pond will remain closed until further notice, and they don’t see a date when it will be able to re-open.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean that we have interest to keep it closed forever,” Downing says. “But there are a number of (items) that need to be addressed first.”
Downing says an engineering report was completed that provides some recommendations to make sure swimmers are safe in the event it is re-opened. It includes some recommendations such as installing railings, performing grading and reducing the risk of people jumping off the deck.
“In previous years, when the pond has been filled with water there have been ‘swim at your own risk’ notices posted. This property has been an unstaffed conservation area for years,” says the SVCA. “A public safety plan (which would include signage) has been recommended by an external engineer”
Two Grey County mayors — West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles and Southgate Mayor and Grey County Warden Brian Milne — agree people can be trusted to manage their own risks when swimming. They want to see the Varney Pond re-opened.
“I have no issues from a personal side of jumping into there and taking responsibility for my own actions,” Eccles says. “And I think that’s how it was built and how it has been used in the life that it has had.”
Milne: “People have been doing that for 40 to 50 years since that pond has been there … absolutely I’m disappointed (it’s closed) because I learned to swim there myself. I spent many days there with parents, my cousins, my neighbours.”
The closure of the Varney Pond in the spring led to public outcry, which led to an online petition being created calling on the authority to re-open it.