Victoria city staff are recommending that council spend up to $725,000 on a new feasibility study for the Crystal Pool replacement project, a city report shows.
The recommendation comes after council decided last summer to start from scratch rather than push ahead with plans to build a new facility next to the old one in Central Park at a cost of nearly $70 million.
Neighbourhood groups had opposed that proposal due to the loss of trees and green space, so council directed staff to revisit the project’s objectives and timelines despite having already spent $2 million in pre-construction planning and design work.
Staff say the new feasibility study would take up to 16 months to complete and will include setting up a project advisory group, picking a site, consulting with the public and confirming a preferred design, construction budget and timelines.
If council gives the go-ahead, staff expect a project advisory group will be established in the coming weeks and up to 15 people will be appointed from the community for one year. A facilitator will be hired this month to lead the call for applications.
“The update plan lays out a new approach to engage with the community on the priorities for this project and is intended to be thorough and efficient,” states the report from Thomas Soulliere, director of parks, recreation and facilities, and Derrick Newman, assistant director of facilities and construction management.
But Mayor Lisa Helps said it won’t be an easy decision when the recommendation goes before committee of the whole on Thursday.
“I think Thursday’s going to be a bit of a crossroads for council,” she said. “I’m really torn. This would be a good time to assess whether we just go with the original plan or whether we’re going to spend three-quarters of a million dollars and another 16 to 20 months to make another plan for another pool.”
Helps said she can see the merits of arguments on both sides of the debate.
“There are a variety of opinions about the pool,” she said. “One is that the pool is old. We’ve been talking about replacing it for a long time. We have a plan in place, just implement the plan. Go find federal and provincial funding, hold a referendum and build the pool as proposed. Keep the old pool open, knock it down when the new one opens and turn it to parkland.”
Others make “equally valid points” that there needs to be a more comprehensive approach to developing a pool, she said. “North Park and downtown don’t have community centres and maybe this is an opportunity to incorporate a community centre.”
Council has indicated, as well, that planners consider adding a neighbourhood library branch to the project.
Helps said the amount of money required for a new feasibility study is what gives her pause. “We’ve saved $10 million for this swimming pool, which is incredible to have saved that much money. And to take another $750,000 out of our savings to put towards another feasibility study, I’m just not sure.”
The staff report notes that the city has already spent more than $2 million of the $10 million that council approved for the Crystal Pool and Wellness Centre project in 2017.
Helps said much of that money has been put to good use and will benefit the project, even if council decides to go in a different direction. “I mean a swimming pool is a swimming pool. A lot of the design elements that have been incorporated into the original work will be incorporated into the final product. So, no, I don’t think it’s money wasted.”
The city previously considered building the pool in a parking lot at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, but was unable to reach an agreement with RG Properties, which operates the arena. Central Middle School’s playing fields were briefly considered as a possible location as well.
