Vancouver Park Board recommends 25-metre pool design

The Vancouver Park Board is recommending that the city sticks to its plan for a 25-metre pool at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. This decision comes despite community calls to include a 50-metre Olympic-sized pool in the rebuild. Last month, park commissioners asked for a review of options after losing the larger pool sparked backlash from local groups. The upcoming report suggests building a smaller lap pool, leisure pool, teaching pool, and hot pool. This design aims to meet increasing demand for swimming lessons and community programs as the population in downtown Vancouver rises. The report found that creating a 50-metre pool is not feasible because of costs, project timelines, and site limitations. It stated that adding a larger facility would disrupt the project and lead to operational inefficiencies. Kelly Taitinger, head coach of the Canadian Dolphins Swim Club, expressed disappointment over the decision. He emphasized the club's long history with 50-metre pools in the area and the negative impact that reducing pool size would have on local swimmers. Club president Jeannie Lo noted the significance of the pool to the community, stating that over 15,000 people signed a petition to support the larger facility. She worries that the closure could significantly limit programming options for swimmers. Park Board General Manager Steve Jackson explained that budget constraints and land ownership issues complicate expanding the site. He stressed that any significant changes could jeopardize funding for the project, which was approved by voters in a 2022 plebiscite. Delays could result in increased costs and push back the project's timeline to 2027 or later. The current budget for the project stands at $170 million. The report also suggested that the city could make up for some loss of swim availability by modifying the Hillcrest Pool layout to add more hours and longer lanes. However, concerns remain about the capacity at Hillcrest, which is already operating at over 100 percent.