Plans for a new outdoor pool in Colwood have been super-sized.
“If you have to dig one hole, you might as well dig two,” said Mike Reilly, a member of the Rotary Club of West Shore and co-lead of the West Shore Community Pool Project, speaking to the City of Colwood in June.
Alongside a new outdoor pool facility – an idea first floated to the community in the fall of 2023 – the team of volunteers behind the project now also want to build a new indoor facility.
“As we have done more research, you understand that … as soon as we build a pool, that's great, but then two more are needed,” said Reilly speaking to Goldstream Gazette.
“It's the same thing with ice sheets, basketball and curling – the demand for public recreation facilities always exceed the resources available.”
Project lead Linda Mackie imagines the outdoor facility will include an Olympic-size pool, plus a smaller training pool; with the indoor pool facility home to all year-round services
“We kind of have a vision to make it a community hub,” said Mackie, who lists off the top of her head aqua fitness for seniors, an outdoor performance space and a coffee shop, as just some of the ideas for their vision.
With the support of the Rotary Club West Shore, Mackie and Reilly say the money needed to build the outdoor pool will be found though fundraising and grants, at “no cost to the taxpayer.”
They hope the indoor pool will be funded by municipalities, under the umbrella of the West Shore Parks and Recreation Society.
"We would very much like for the councils to support this," said Reilly. "It's something that's going to benefit everyone, and our team is willing to do the heavy lifting."
With no public outdoor pools available in Greater Victoria, and existing facilities facing increasing demand, Mackie believes the project is a “no-brainer."
"Every community should have at least one outdoor pool," she says, explaining how such a facility can help bring people from all walks of life together.
"It would be a destination for the West Shore, and in fact, the entire Capital Regional District," adds Reilly.
It's not just the project team who are keen for the plans to go ahead, community support has been overwhelming too, says Mackie.
“People are super excited about it,” she says, encouraging folks to channel their enthusiasm into contacting their local municipality to show their support for the project. “There hasn't been anything like this in Victoria for a long time.”
Next steps for the project include a feasibility study, which will help the team outline the cost of building the facilities. But the duo notes that building both outdoor and indoor pools at the same time will offer cost-saving benefits.
Mackie and Reilly also plan to continue communicating with local municipalities to garner their support.
As for how long the project will take, the duo admits "the goal posts continue to move." First pitched in 2023, they had hoped a five-year timeline was possible.
But with momentum picking up and more people offering to get involved, Mackie is hopeful the pools may become reality sooner rather than later.
“It’s got to happen some way or another,” she said.
Reilly shares her tenacity.
“I regularly envision the ribbon cutting ceremony on the day that it's open – I just hope I'm not in a walker at that point,” he jokes.
To find out how to get involved in the West Shore Community Pool Project, contact the Rotary Club of West Shore: rotarywestshore.com/contact-us.
