Heating the pool at the Bengough Regional Park cost $9,000 for two months each summer, said recreation director Deb Ashby.
After putting solar panels on the nearby rink roof in 2004 and pumping water through hoses and the panels, she said the summer pool heating bill is now $2,000 to $2,500.
A federal government green grant and a Saskatchewan government centennial grant covered half the $38,000 cost.
Ashby said the solar system “works awesome.” Cool, cloudy summers didn’t affect the system, which she said is easy to run. The park also puts covers on the pool each night to retain heat.
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Ashby said she has had many calls from RMs about the system, and a few others have followed suit for their public pools.
“If I built a new building I’d definitely put solar in. But it’s pricey to retrofit an old one, although there are still some grants.”
To spread word about good ideas such as the one implemented in Bengough, the Association of Manitoba Municipalities publishes a Tools for Change initiative on its website, (www.amm.mb.ca), outlining ways municipalities can work together and share best practices. Examples include regional waste landfills, water and sewage plants, better recycling and sharing an office.
The best ideas are eligible to win an annual competition and be featured on the website and in the association’s newsletter. For example, a finalist from April 2008 was the city of Brandon, which has moved to paperless council meetings.
The town of Altona has banned bottled water in its municipal office. It decided that if the municipal tap water is good enough to sell to the public, it should be good enough for municipal staff to drink.
