Pending a site inspection by Interior Health representatives next week, phase one of the Sam Ketcham Pool (SKP) is expected to be open for business later this month.
“It’s been a complicated and challenging project to do an upgrade on an aquatic centre that’s almost 40 years old,” said Darron Campbell, Cariboo Regional District manager of community services.
“But people are going to love it when it’s done.”
While some technical changes to the original design have been made, Campbell said no concept-level changes have been made to the upgrade of the pool.
“All the components are still there,” Campbell said. “When you’re looking at a two-dimensional concept-level design at the start of the project it’s different than actually doing it, but all major components have been maintained.”
Once construction began in April of 2016, the SKP working group, of which Campbell is a part of, and project architects VDA proposed a change to the original concept layout to swap the locations of the leisure pool and the lap pool in order to use the space in the building more effectively and improve its functionality for operating.
Campbell said the decision was made based on what space was available within the building and mechanical issues.
A third boiler was also scheduled to be installed, however, was foregone due to what Campbell said would only be a necessary feature under the most extreme circumstances.
Change rooms were also originally slated to remain unchanged when the concept was drawn up at referendum. A further interim design proposed an expansion of the change rooms, but the decision was made to keep them in their original layouts with replaced flooring and tiling.
“What we’re trying to do is deliver the concept, do it within budget and make sure we are getting the best value for our cost,” Campbell said.
The family change rooms, meanwhile, have been completely overhauled, as well as a new steam room constructed and a new, larger upstairs fitness room.
Phase one of the SKP project is slated to open sometime later this month.
“As soon as we can obtain a health permit we’ll open,” Campbell said.
The pool was announced as being over budget last month after the CRD board endorsed a recommendation from the Central Cariboo Joint Committee to amend its financial plan to add $979,000 for the completion of the project. He said this change can be accommodated in the budget without an increase in taxation.
In February of 2017, the CRD also announced the pool would shut down for nine to 12 weeks for the completion of phase one the building of the lap pool prior to phase two of the project.
Campbell said once the project is complete, the public will be impressed.
“It’s so bright, white and clean and new,” he said. “We just can’t wait for this to happen.”
He added the shutdown was a necessity in order to transition the mechanical systems, but it also helped the overall timeline stay on schedule for the project completion date of October of 2017.
Cost of the upgrade will come in at roughly $14.1 million after a public referendum held in 2014 approved the borrowing of up to $10 million over 20 years to provide for the upgrade and renovation of the pool and amenities at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.
For a live construction feed, which updates every 10 minutes, of the pool construction visit www.cariboord.ca/services/recreation-2/central-cariboo.