The report to Victoria’s mayor and council outlining the potential locations for the City’s new Crystal Pool and fitness centre has once again come out.
After 10 years of discussion yet another location has mysteriously surfaced. I find myself asking, will they ever get it right?
It is clear that the city needs a 50-metre pool and fitness centre. There is ample evidence to support this. It is also clear that a new facility is the best value for money.
Countless reports to the City have indicated the cost of refurbishing the current facility is similar to that of a new pool, and refurbishing comes with no guarantees of a long-lasting facility. Refurbishing also has a higher annual operating cost than a new facility.
The key question the City should be asking at this point is how to keep the cost of building a new facility down.
The report to mayor and council that they will use for their recommendation does not identify the added costs for each location.
If the facility is built anywhere other than the southwest corner of Central Park, there will be additional costs for a detailed site analysis, geotechnical report, new design, the possible cost of the acquisition or leasing of land and the cost of terminating existing contracts.
At this point, one has to wonder, why are we even asking the question.
Susan Simmons
Victoria
