Local swim team the Quinte Dolphins have paused programming and, barring any change of heart by either team or the Prince Edward Fitness and Aquatic Centre, swimmers have already completed their final laps.

Dolphins President Cathy Duggan confirmed last week that, after 35 years, the organization will officially cease operations at the end of the month because of a breakdown in negotiations over pool access. 

The president said numerous attempts to work with the PEFAC to develop a program that would support both the facility and the swim club have been unsuccessful. With no other suitable swimming facility available in Prince Edward County, the Dolphins have had to make “the very difficult decision to cease operations.”

“It’s unfortunate that we have a Junior Olympic pool right here in Prince Edward County but it’s not being used to support excellence in young swimmers,” said Ms. Duggan. “This is such a disappointment for all of our swimmers who have come so far this year and for a community that has supported the club for decades.”

With over 40 children competing for the Dolphins, the team needed access to the full pool for two hours per week. PEFAC said that was not possible. After the Dolphins said they would close, PEFAC offered full pool access on Friday evenings from 6-7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 7-8 a.m.

“Given that we were asking for very limited time during the week when the pool is already underused, and that Friday night/ Saturday early morning would be the most challenging for our families, we did not feel this was an offer we could accept,” Ms. Duggan stated.

The PEFAC Board of Directors, through General Manager and Aquatics Director Meloni Crandall, explained restrictions during the COVID pandemic have created an unprecedented demand for group and private swimming lessons and that a core part of PEFAC’s mission is “encouraging water safety within our community, particularly for children, and providing affordable and accessible swimming lessons to as many as possible is a critical element of this.”

“To provide one hour use of the entire pool two nights a week between Monday and Thursday would significantly compromise our ability to accommodate swimming lessons,” the board said.

One of the major sticking points between the two parties was the Dolphins request for the full pool. 

In 2022-23, under the leadership of head coach Andrea Taylor, the Dolphins celebrated their most successful season in years with several swimmers consistently posting personal bests as the season went on.

Taylor explained this success was in spite of not having full access to the pool for the entire team.

“The equivalent would be having the Picton Pirates or Prince Edward County Kings practice on half ice while other things like public skate were happening on the other side,” Taylor said. “The challenge we faced this year was providing swimmers with appropriate lane space/training for them to achieve their goals. Despite our challenges, we had some swimmers very close to regional standards times.”

In their statement to the Gazette, the board said PEFAC is fully-supportive of the Quinte Dolphins program and would very much welcome their return to rent pool time at PEFAC. 

“However, as with any rental arrangement, the terms and conditions, in this case the rental times and amount of pool space used, must be acceptable to PEFAC. And the usage details cannot constrain our ability to deliver swimming lessons/ programs that are important to and in high demand by our community.”

In the mean time, swimmers will continue their competitive careers with the Belleville Beast at the Quinte Health and Wellness Centre.

“Some of the swimmers have moved on to Belleville but for some of our families, unfortunately, that is not an option,” Ms. Duggan said.

Unfortunate indeed.