Swim fans ask city council to deny additional funding for Vancouver Aquatic Centre renewal
Swim group wants promised 50-metre pool prioritized before more money goes to redesign they opposed
Swimming advocates unhappy with the plan to replace the 50-metre pool at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre (VAC) with one half the size are asking city council to reject the park board's request for $22.5 million in additional money to fund the renewal of the facility.
Jeannie Lo, president of the Canadian Dolphin Swim Club and Swim B.C., said that before construction begins at the the West End facility near Sunset Beach, there needs to be follow-through on the commitment to build an Olympic-sized, 50-metre replacement pool somewhere else in the city.
"Most of the users are resigned to the fact that a 50-metre pool will not be built on the current footprint of the VAC, but there has not been a prioritization of a replacement 50-metre pool elsewhere," said Lo. "So where is the plan for that pool?"
In their letter to city council, Lo's group highlighted that both the city's 2023-26 capital plan and a plebiscite question that was approved by 77 per cent of municipal voters in 2022 only contemplated a 50-metre replacement pool for VAC.
The letter goes on to say that when the design consultant public contract for the redevelopment was awarded, a "50-metre lap pool" was the top priority listed.
"The consultants and the Park Board staff were given, and should have understood, the very clear priorities of the community. These priorities were dramatically changed without meaningful consultation with either the Park Board Commissioners or the community," reads the letter to Vancouver city council.
The first public mention of a 25-metre pool came in February when it was revealed in the design proposal brought forward by city staff, sparking an outcry from the swimming community.
The park board approved the design with the smaller pool on March 31, subject to city council agreeing to an additional $22.5 million for the project.
Park board chair Laura Christensen said if the additional funding isn't approved, the VAC renewal plan will be pushed back four to five years.
"Work on the project would stop and everything would be put on hold," said Christensen. "If construction doesn't start in 2026, that money is lost and we'd have to go back to plebiscite to get that money passed."
According to a staff report, a 50-metre pool configuration is not feasible at the site within the existing building footprint.
"The recommended [design] program maintains or enhances all existing services (except the 50-meter pool) and offers more diverse programming opportunities," says the report.
Lo said allocating additional funding to the 25-metre VAC design without a plan for a 50-meter pool somewhere else will be the death knell for the sport of swimming in the city.
"What we would like as users is for the city and for the park board to maintain their promise of prioritizing a 50-metre pool. So if it cannot happen at the VAC, then let us know where it's going to happen before you proceed," she said.
She said promises to accommodate 300 VAC club swimmers at Hillcrest pool near Queen Elizabeth Park doesn't make sense.
"Our question is, how can this happen when Hillcrest is already over capacity?"
City council will consider the additional funding request from the park board on Wednesday.
If approved, the Vancouver Aquatic Centre renewal project will have a $175-million price tag, with the facility scheduled to shut down in 2026 and reopen sometime in 2029.
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