Construction on the new downtown pool located beside the Civic Centre is now over halfway complete.
Once finished, the facility will have a six-lane, 25-meter lap pool, a four-lane, 25-meter shallow teaching pool with warmer water, and a leisure pool with a lazy river, hot tub, and water features.
According to Leland Hanson, Manager of Project Delivery, the project is just a couple of weeks behind schedule and is expected to be completed next fall.
“The most intriguing part of this project is to be able to renew a piece of infrastructure, rather than continuing to reinvest in an old building, we can actually bring a pool into the code of today, into the standards of what you’d expect in a new pool,” Hanson explained.
The 6 lane, 25 metre lap pool will be located directly across from a 4 lane, 25 metre teaching pool that will be more shallow with warmer water. In front of both will be a leisure pool which will include a hot tub, lazy River and water features. #CityofPG pic.twitter.com/ujJMkD0ibj
— Francoise Dione (@dione_wearmouth) October 15, 2021
Hanson says this facility will be more accessible than the Aquatic Centre, as features such as level pool entry and a universal changing room will also be available in addition to the men’s and women’s changerooms.
Shallow pool entry provides residents with mobility devices the opportunity to safely enter the water.
The facility will also have a “Ninja-Cross obstacle course”, the first of its kind in Canada, which is an obstacle course that hangs over the deep end of the leisure pool.
“There are two different levels with two different degrees of difficulty and an individual will swing across the different obstacles to get to the other side. You start a timer and then when you get to the other side you stop the timer,” he stated.
A large waterslide will also be placed in the facility that runs into a run-off lane, and a sauna and steam room will be placed directly across from the leisure pool.
Throughout this season, crews will be working on forming the concrete basins that will encompass the new pool tanks, finishing the change rooms, building additional walls and roofing, and installing insulation and electrical components.
Hanson says the project has provided jobs for many local construction workers.
“We’ve had 60% of our trades are local, working on this facility, the major trades electrical and mechanical are supporting this project,” he explained.
The project has a budget of $35 million and $10 million was allocated by the provincial and federal governments last year, the largest government investment into Prince George in over a decade.
In February, Council approved the addition of the $500,000 Ninja-Cross, during the same meeting council also resolved to use the additional funding to reduce project debt.
Consequently, the loan for the new pool stands at $25.5 million.