The 26-year-old Prince George Aquatic Centre needs $37 million in infrastructure repairs infrastructure to keep it operational.
On Friday, the city will formally begin a public survey campaign to gauge if eligible voters are willing to foot the bill.
Having already secured $14.88 million in funding, the alternate approval process will determine if the city will go ahead with borrowing the remaining $22.15 million to pay for repairs and enhancements approved by city council at the April 22 meeting.
Starting this Friday at 8:30 a.m. and continuing through Aug. 19, elector response forms will be available through the city’s website or for pickup at the first-floor service centre at city hall or legislative services division on the fifth floor.
The alternate approval process will not proceed if 10 per cent or more of the city’s electorate (5,512 voters) decide in the survey they do not want the money spent on the Aquatic Centre upgrades.
“The need for these enhancements has not been due to lack of ongoing maintenance on the facility, it simply comes down to the age of the building and doing the work required to ensure the building will be in great shape long into the future,” said Andy Beesley, the city’s director of civic facilities.
“This means that it has now gone from the regular maintenance phase and into the ‘infrastructure replacement’ phase which is the normal life cycle for all buildings.”
To minimize disruptions to Aquatic Centre users, the project would be unveiled in five phases:
Phase 1(a) and 1(b): Further improvements in energy efficiency through Phase 1(a) ($1.3 million) and Phase 1(b) ($1.85 million).
Phase 2: Repairs to structural steel/columns and dive tank sparger system. Replacement of main entry soffits, curtain wall, and air handling units cooling coils. Addition of energy recovery on air handling units. Budget estimate: $7.9 million.
Phase 3: Replacement of health/life safety items including deck, lobby, and visitor area tiles, handrails, plumbing fixtures, fire alarm system, and sprinkler heads. Budget estimate: $4.5 million.
Phase 4: Replacement of moveable bulkheads, change room tiles, overhead and underwater light fixtures, and emergency system lighting. Additional work includes interior repainting, hydronic piping reconfiguration, increased access controls, accessibility improvements, and a reconfigured reception desk. Budget estimate: $6.6 million.
Local governments are required to obtain approval of long-term capital borrowing from eligible electors either through the alternate approval process or in a referendum.
Rather than spend $120,000 on the cost of a referendum the city chose to fund the AAP, which is absorbed by existing city budgets. The AAP was approved at the May 6 council meeting.
The proposed repairs are expected to add 25 years to the expected lifespan of the Aquatic Centre.
Since it was built in 1998, the Aquatic Centre has been open to the public 11 months each year seven days per week. It annually hosts 250,000 visitors. The city usually closes the facility in September to conduct maintenance and repairs.
The Aquatic Centre last had a major repair in 2018, which included replacement of the movable floor in the main pool, boiler replacement, structural repairs and steam room tile refurbishment.
If the AAP gives the city the green light to go ahead with borrowing, the design work on first phase of upgrades will continue and construction will start in mid-2025.
