Aquatics Centre Exterior Design Concept: View of Main Entrance (Red Deer city council October 16 agenda p. 24)

By Alessia Proietti

Timing and funding

Red Deer’s Aquatics Centre project waiting on key provincial step, City says

Oct 16, 2023 | 9:02 PM

A 20-year project for a multi-use Aquatics Centre in Red Deer is not shovel ready just yet as the City says they are waiting on the province to have the designated land ready for purchase.

At their meeting on Monday, city council heard an update on the project by administration, accepting it as information.

During their Capital Budget debate in November 2022, council asked administration to return in the fourth quarter of 2023 with an update on potential timing of the aquatics facility project within the Capital Plan and to explore funding model options.

READ: Red Deer city council revisits Capstone to Bower Ponds Bridge and Aquatic Centre projects

The City completed the Phase 1 Planning for the facility in 2020, which included site research and feasibility, conceptual/preliminary design, lifecycle cost analysis, capital cost review and a preliminary operational business case.

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The 10,122 square metre facility was designed to include a 53m x 25m pool with 10 lanes ranging in depth to meet International Swimming Federation (FINA) standards and Swim Alberta recommendations. The facility also would include a 25m x 20.6m pool with eight lanes ranging in depth to host national and international swim competitions, diving platforms, hot tubs, steam and sauna amenities, spectator seating for up to 750 people, and more for various aquatic programming like water polo and artistic swimming.

Aquatic Facility Concept Plan (Red Deer city council October 16 agenda p. 19)

Barb McKee, Recreation Superintendent, said the City’s four pools currently cannot meet the need and demands of the public, having to put a cap on swim lessons in order to make room for public leisure use.

In 2021, council chose the Michener North Lands as the location for the facility.

An outdoor aquatic feature was also recommended with the intent to replace the aging Recreation Centre Outdoor Pool; however, this addition was budgeted separately.

READ: Aquatic centre to be built at Michener North

The City states that the province is still in the process of environmentally remediating the land and have not given a timeline on when the land will be ready. They say they will not finalize the purchase until that process is complete.

Once the City owns the land, they say Phase 2 can begin, which includes detailed design, validating capital estimates and construction budgets, completing a detailed business plan and project construction.

Administration confirmed they have $6 million available in previously approved planning funding to do detailed design as soon as the land is purchased. Once those steps are complete, they estimate needing one more year to be “shovel ready”.

With a total cost estimate for the project at around $108 million in 2023 dollars, administration says the confidence level for those costs is between 26-50 per cent as prices can change drastically year over year.

They also noted the projected net operating deficit would be $3,724,337 annually or an estimated 2.6 per cent tax increase to provide aquatic services for the facility.

“While I know it’s exciting and we’d love to move and be able to tell you when, where and exactly how much, these are large legacy projects that are lasting in our community and they do take time and a lot of preparation before that first shovel goes in the ground,” said City Manager Tara Lodewyk, hoping to have land negotiations complete within the next year.

“We are taking steps. We’re not running, we are walking to put this in place in our community over the next many number of years.”

Councillor Cindy Jefferies referenced an article in 2010 where city council at that time refused an aquatics facility, stating it would be at least one decade before the project hit the capital plan.

She suggested reconsidering their self-imposed debt limit to allow space for long-term project investment as costs will only increase with time.

The City states that under the current council budget guidelines and corporate debt borrowing limit policy, the aquatic facility is not feasible within the City’s 10-year capital plan.

“Whether it’s a pool, a hockey rink, a tennis court, arts centre, all of these contribute to the quality of life. They help create the fibre of our community. If we aren’t prepared to invest in our city, why would we expect anyone else to? Investments like this bring energy to our community, give excitement about the future to our population. Our city needs an energy boost and hopefully this will be one of some of the projects that can come forward and do that,” said Jefferies.