A few days have passed since the announcement was made about the PCU Centre's temporary pool closured at the end of October in Portage la Prairie. Portage Regional Recreation Authority general manager David Sattler outlines progress made in preparing refunds for fees paid for the programming.

"Over the last few weeks before the announcement we started working on this already. We needed to know how our members would be treated. All of our aquatic memberships after November 1st are going to receive a cheque for the amount that's left owing on their account on a prorated basis. It's a little bit more than what it would be if it was just divided by the number of days remaining, because it is an inconvenience for our users, and we understand that. So, we want to give them a little something more for this issue. As for our active pass members that would have extended past November 1st, we're going to put a credit on their account. They can either use that to extend their current membership, purchase a new membership, and if they so choose we can also refund that to them."

Sattler explains what members will receive after having paid for the use of other facilities including the pool.

"We compared current rates to other gyms and fitness centres in Portage and the surrounding area. By removing the pool from the equation we knew we had to provide a reduced rate. So, we used those others as comparables. We did refund our fitness pass memberships to coincide with that. If you're a member, this is going to automatically happen. So, as we get closer to the pool closing, we're going to do a cheque-run dealing with all those refunds. All of those credits lost will be put onto their account probably around the end of October, and they can choose at that time how they want to deal with that."

He shares what public feedback's been like.

"I'd like to say the majority of the people we've spoken to were very understanding of the situation; understanding how important public safety is in this matter. Of course, everyone's upset. We're upset, because we weren't able to offer the programming to the citizens that deserve the programming. But I will say that we have received quite a bit of good support from our community."