After a month-long shutdown to address a critical faulty filtration system, the Wildey Aquatic Centre has officially resumed operations, bringing relief to local and national swimming teams that were forced to rearrange their training schedules ahead of key upcoming competitions.
The facility was first ordered closed by Barbados’ Ministry of Health on March 12, forcing the country’s CARIFTA Aquatic Championships national squad to relocate all training sessions to the pool at Ursuline Convent. Following extensive remedial work carried out largely through community and private support, the Aquatic Centre welcomed swimmers back through its doors on Monday.
In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Glyne Harrison, president of the Barbados Amateur Swimming Association (BASA), outlined the new operational changes introduced to extend the facility’s lifespan and prevent future system failures. Under the updated protocols, the pool will close daily from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. for scheduled maintenance. This 75-minute window falls just before the daily peak period when dozens of club swimmers arrive for training, allowing staff to conduct system checks, adjust chemical levels — including chlorine — and let treatments fully dissipate before the facility fills with users.
Harrison emphasized that BASA is prioritizing proactive maintenance over reactive problem-solving to avoid future unexpected shutdowns. “Our job at the association level is to face issues when they’re highlighted, and we prefer that to be proactively rather than reactively. We also make sure we operate in a way that prevents them from coming back,” he said.
In addition to the scheduled daily maintenance break, the facility has also been updated with new clear signage reminding all visitors of basic hygiene protocols, including mandatory showering before entering the pool. Harrison explained that natural body oils, topical creams and hair products introduced by swimmers add extra strain on filtration systems, so reinforcing these simple rules helps reduce long-term wear on the equipment.
Most of the renovation and repair work was completed pro bono, a gesture Harrison said would not have been possible without the support of the local aquatic community. A majority of the work was funded through a trust established to honor the legacy of Angus Edghill, with additional pro bono support from local service providers who stepped up to assist the non-government facility. Harrison noted that operating the Aquatic Centre is a “mammoth task” — unlike many public sports facilities, it receives no direct government funding, and all upkeep costs are covered by membership fees.
The reopening has been widely celebrated across Barbados’ swimming community, including by David Farmer, the veteran head coach of the recently returned record-breaking CARIFTA Games squad. Farmer said the entire swimming community is thrilled to have the facility back online, with the Sonia O’Neill International Invitational competition just five weeks away, scheduled for the third weekend of May.
“Everybody is very excited about the fact that the pool has reopened and we are expecting strong attendances. Everybody has started training with that in mind so the pool is quite busy at this point in time,” Farmer said. He added that attendance has dipped slightly this week due to the upcoming school break, but expects numbers to return to normal once classes resume next week, bringing the facility back to its regular operational rhythm.