Crystal Pool costs examined

Victoria is looking for a consultant to assess the costs and hazards involved in demolishing the Crystal Pool and Recreation centre.

Interested parties have until Friday to submit bids.

Victoria councillors decided in February to replace the 45-year-old Crystal Pool at an estimated cost of $69.4 million. The city has $10 million in reserves to put toward the project but the balance, minus outside grants, would have to be borrowed which would require a referendum. Before any vote is scheduled, city staff are exploring grant possibilities.

The new facility, with an estimated life of 50 years, would have a 50-metre pool, better accessibility, expanded programs and family change rooms. The existing Crystal facility would remain open during construction.

Councillors will be asked Thursday to approve a memorandum of understanding with the YMCA-YWCA to ensure co-operation as both agencies look to replace their downtown recreation facilities.

The YMCA-YWCA has engaged Colliers International to explore options for its 52-year-old Broughton Street recreation facility that could include building a new facility somewhere downtown. YMCA-YWCA chairperson Jennie Edgecombe has said nothing is expected to change on the current site for at least five years.

Both the Crystal and the downtown YMCA are heavily used with Crystal recording some 400,000 visits a year and the Y more than 650,000 a year.

The memorandum is designed “to establish a culture of coordination between the two organizations,” says a city staff report.

A joint work plan seeks to: • Consider future needs of the community based on population growth and trends. • Identify compatible and complementary programs and services. • Determine high-demand program areas that both organizations will continue to provide and determine areas of overlap which might be better provided by one organization only. • Determine a process to fill current and future program and service gaps.