A service club wants to partner with the City of Colwood to build the region’s only outdoor public swimming pool.
The West Shore Rotary Club told Colwood council this week that it will work with other service clubs to raise about $12 million through donations and government grants to build a pool, but needs the city’s support to conduct a feasibility study and to contribute to operating the facility.
The pool would likely be in the Royal Bay area.
Councillors were intrigued by the idea of a new pool to relieve pressure on the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre pools amid explosive population growth on the West Shore, and said it has the potential to attract users from throughout the region, especially during hot summers.
The proponents at Tuesday’s council meeting, Mike Reilly and Linda Mackie, said they based their cost estimates on similar projects in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and Lake Country near Kelowna. Moose Jaw is building a 50-metre pool with a waterslide and splash pad at a cost of $11.6 million and is pursuing funding though the federal government’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
Coun. Ian Ward said that based on similar pools in other regions of Canada, operating costs would be about $150,000 a year, with cost recovery typically 23% to 59%. “Flip that around and that’s how much you have to subsidize, so can we afford it?”
Ward later noted, however, that the south Island has a “deficiency of these kinds of recreational facilities,” and working with Colwood’s partners in West Shore Parks and Recreation — Langford, View Royal and Metchosin — would make a new pool project worthwhile.
“Initially I was a little pessimistic about the operating costs, but my optimism comes from the fact that due to the lack of other facilities, we would be looking at a regional draw,” said Ward. “From a programming and cost-recovery standpoint, it might just be doable.”
Outdoor public pools are a bit of a rarity on the Island. Courtenay and Nanaimo have them, but the capital region hasn’t had one since the former Racquet Club facility in Saanich, now owned by the University of Victoria, closed a small outdoor pool in 2015.
The presenters said there are about a dozen outdoor pools on the Lower Mainland.
Outdoor pools are cheaper to build because they don’t have to be enclosed, but use can be limited depending on weather. However, there are advantages such as being able to swim outdoors in the sun and breathing fresh outdoor air without a chlorine scent.
Coun. Dean Jantzen, Colwood’s representative on the West Shore Parks and Recreation Board, said the timing of the proposal is good because the municipality is looking at what Quarry Park in Royal Bay should look like, with everything from soccer fields to lacrosse boxes on the table.
“Why not explore this?
“At West Shore Parks, the pools there are reaching end of life, so we are looking to expand our reach as far as pools go,” said Jantzen. “It is time and we should have this dialogue and I fully support heading down this road.”
Coun. Cynthia Day called the pool proposal “a tall order” and said for years, the city has supported recreation efforts, but fell short on the arts and a potential new arts centre. “And it could be a long time before something like this comes to fruition.”
She noted that outdoor pools, while busy in the summer, are often underused in the off-season.
Mackie said the pool facility could be used for community events and as a gathering space in the off-season, with a cafe and other amenities.
Mackie suggested a site near Latoria Creek Park, near Royal Bay and Beachlands. She admitted that $12 million is a significant cost, but said an outdoor pool could bring many benefits for the community, hosting everything from swimming lessons to meets, as well as serving as a hub for events.
She added that as outdoor temperatures rise, an outdoor pool would be an ideal cooling centre.
Reilly said Rotary clubs from the south Island and other service clubs such as the Lions are on board with the project.
Council unanimously supported the motion for staff to work with West Shore Rotary to develop a feasibility study for an outdoor aquatic facility. There was no indication of when the report would return to council.
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