Waterfront Adventure Centre set to open for the season

The Waterfront Adventure Centre, owned and operated by Sault College, will be open for use this summer. 

“We’re planning on opening whenever it’s safe to do so and whenever the restrictions are lifted. We hope to be open until October,” said Dalton Opper, supervisor of Waterfront and Recreation. 

The Waterfront Adventure Centre (WAC), formerly known as RYTAC, was closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Opper says they hope to be able to offer their services this year. 

“Things are hopefully starting to reopen in the province, and people need to be active, especially outdoors. We’re hoping to offer a piece of that recreational activity that the community can enjoy like they did in 2019 when we first opened,” he said. 

The WAC offers a number of outdoor facilities including tennis courts, pickleball courts, and beach volleyball courts. On the water side, the centre rents kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards. Memberships are available but not required to use these facilities. 

“We do have memberships, but the public is free to come in and use our rental rates. We have membership rates and rental rates for people who just want to walk in and use a court or rent a watercraft. We don’t allow any public launching of personal watercraft, however,” Opper said. 

Right now, there are no lessons planned for any activity.

“What we want to focus on is getting people out and enjoying the activity on a basic level, just to get out and exercise. We are looking at expanding into offering some lessons later on this summer,” he said. 

The WAC is also planning on eventually serving food and beverages in their cafe and on their patio.

As far as COVID-19 safety is concerned, there will be plenty of precautions set in place. 

“We will have limited capacity in the areas of our building and on the courts. We always wipe down and sanitize our contact points like door handles, tables, and chairs. We also ask that everyone check-in for contact tracing, so that if something were to happen we would have a record,” Opper said.