The City of Pitt Meadows undertook an Aquatics Feasibility Study to better understand the community’s aquatics needs and explore a range of indoor and outdoor pool facility options and their associated cost impacts. Please note the public engagement opportunities are now closed.
City Council has concluded, after an extensive Aquatics Feasibility Study, that establishing a new aquatics facility in Pitt Meadows is not viable. This decision was made based on financial implications and risk, expected facility usage, and the accessibility of neighbouring pool options. Read the full news release.
FAQs
The Parks Recreation and Culture Masterplan (MP) was completed in 2022. The MP provides a strategic roadmap that will guide service delivery and investment for the next 15 years.
Survey results showed that the public identified a new Aquatics Facility as a top priority. Given the significant development and operational costs associated with a pool, an Aquatics Feasibility Study was undertaken.While there is a demand for a new Aquatics Facility, as with any decision to expand a municipal service, demand and rationale need to be balance against the level of taxpayer impact deemed acceptable, as well as the level of acceptable risk that the City can justify assuming.
Given the costs of a new pool and other higher priority projects within the City, a new aquatics facility will not be considered at this time.
The initial cost estimates were for construction of a facility and a high level estimate of operational costs. These estimates have since been refined, and additional costs for demolition of the existing pool, development cost charges, capital maintenance costs over the lifespan of a pool, and savings for the eventual replacement of a pool have now been incorporated.
The City would look for ways to obtain grants from various funding sources, as well as investigate possible partnerships for operations, however; there are no guarantees that any of these options would be available. Therefore, the funding information provided is for the full cost of construction, anticipated operations, and eventual replacement of the facility.
The property tax increase to fund construction of the pool would be for a period of 40 years. The estimated operating costs for the pool would be ongoing, and be subject to market pressures such as inflation, etc. and therefore could increase year over year.
The consultant team investigated renovating the existing Harris Road Outdoor Pool, however the pool is undersized and nearing the end of its useful life. In addition, the location of the existing Harris Road pool is challenging in terms of accessibility as well as noise from Lougheed Highway.
Staff work diligently each year to extend the lifespan of the aging infrastructure as long as possible, however at some point in the near future there will no longer be an aquatic facility in Pitt Meadows. There are currently eight municipally operated indoor pools within 20 km of Pitt Meadows, including three facilities within 10 km that offer a wide range of aquatic opportunities. There is also discussion in two neighbouring communities about additional pools which would further enhance these opportunities.
The City of Pitt Meadows is undertaking an aquatics feasibility study to better understand the community’s aquatics needs and explore a range of indoor and outdoor pool facility options and their associated cost impacts. Please note the public engagement opportunities are now closed.
In the Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan, the community identified aquatics as a high-priority amenity in Pitt Meadows. Through community consultation, this feasibility study will gather information about what the community would like to see and the level of support for any future facility projects.
Community engagement is key to the success of this project. Early community input through Survey #1 and needs assessment data gathered informed the development of several aquatics facility design options. View Survey #1 results here. Survey 2 conducted feedback on the design options and their associated cost impacts. View Survey #2 results here. This feedback will be consolidated into a final report and recommendations, with the necessary information to make an informed decision about if and how to proceed with the development of a new facility. Please stay tuned for an update to Council in Fall 2023.
Project Milestones:
- Survey #1 was open April 17 – May 8, 2023. View Survey #1 results.
- The project team hosted an Open House booth at Harris Road Park on Pitt Meadows Day (June 3, 2023), which featured interactive ‘Have Your Say’ boards, arts + crafts activities and more.
- Survey #2 was open June 2 – 23, 2023. View Survey #2 results.
- Final Report & Recommendations were presented to Council in October 2023. View Final Report here.
- 2024 - Staff will take the information from the report findings and work with Council and the community toward the next steps.
Visit the Have Your Say project page for more information on engagement opportunities.