While still years away from completely repurposing the old Canmore pool, politicians decided this week in the meantime it should be decommissioned and leased to the local gymnastics club.
Council voted unanimously to spend $600,000 to decommission the old pool, upgrade the space to code and level the floor for gymnastics programming and a walking track in order to lease the space to the Canmore Illusions Gymnastics Club for five years.
The project will require $375,000 to decommission the pool and bring the space up to code, which includes sprinkler systems, according to manager of facilities Stephen Hanus. The additional $225,000 is to level the pool floor and install a walking track.
Mayor John Borrowman said while not a solution that pleases everyone, the interim use meets the expectations of council for repurposing the space even though it does not go all the way to completely redevelop the pool as envisioned by the Engage Canmore consultation process.
“It has been a convoluted process for several years now frankly,” Borrowman said. “But I am quite comfortable with the recommendation coming forward.”
During 2014 capital budget deliberations council put the estimated $5 million full scale redevelopment of the pool on the backburner as no funds other than new debt could be found to pay for the project.
“Our goal posts have changed, however, within this process there is a lot that has been learned that will be useful for future planning, not just in that building, but for our recreation master plan,” said Councillor Joanna McCallum. “Doing nothing would be an irresponsible thing to do; this is the most responsible thing we can do.”
Manager of Recreation Jim Younker told council without establishing an interim use in the space, the municipality would have to spend $67,000 a year for it to remain as is. That includes keeping water in the pool to prevent damage to the walls of the basin.
Council was supportive of investing capital into the pool space that would eventually form part of the long-term project for the space and not spend money on keeping the pool sitting empty.
“I was gob smacked when I heard this space was going to cost taxpayers $300,000 over five years just to be empty and that is not lost revenue, but actual cost,” said Coun. Sean Krausert. “All of this money is savings down the road because it is money that would have had to be spent.”
While the gymnastics club said they could use the space without leveling the floor, Younker recommended the work be undertaken at $225,000.
“Administration thinks it is effective to level the floor while reclaiming the pool and make it more useful in the long term,” he said, adding those funds are an investment in capital. “The space can also provide a walking track and the club is willing to make that work.
“The intent of the lease is to provide maximum flexibility as the current lease does, so recreation services can rent out that space when it isn’t in use.”
With the gymnastics club taking over the 10,376 square foot pool space, it leaves the 4,714 square foot Peaks of Grassi Gym upstairs it currently uses in the rec centre available for programming and rent.
“Although the Peaks of Grassi Gym will provide multi-purpose sports space, it will not provide the type identified in consultation,” Younker said, adding that includes dry land training and a variety of physical literacy programming.
In refurbishing the pool, said Hanus, “this goes beyond just filling the basin. We have done a preliminary overview as well and once that water is removed we need some code upgrades.”
Hanus told council while the HVAC system for the pool is 27 years old and has a lifespan of 25 years, administration is not recommending replacing it at this time.
“We are unsure how effective the current system, which is antiquated, will work in the new environment, but we hope it will work reasonably well,” he said, adding as a large complicated system it would cost over $1 million to replace. “We feel the timing isn’t quite right today and we think we can get by with what we have.”
Younker also provided council with an overview of the gymnastics club’s pro forma income statement and business plan to show it could afford to rent the bigger space at a cost of $62,500 a year for lease fees and $10,000 annual contribution to leasehold improvements.
He said the club believes it can use the larger space without a proportionate increase in staff and bring in 69 of the 110 children previously declined by the program due to lack of space. The club consisted of 310 gymnasts in 2013.
