New Westminster needs to sink more money into its new pool and community centre if it’s going to have the same operating hours as the facilities it’s replacing.
With a price tag of $114.6-milion, təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre will be the single largest infrastructure investment ever made by the city. The facility – which will be more than 50 per cent larger than the combined square footage of the former Canada Games Pool and Centennial Community Centre – is slated to open in spring 2024.
During 2024 budget discussions, staff have outlined how təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre will impact the city’s budget.
Because of its larger size, the facility requires “supplemental resources” to sustain its operations and associated programs and services, said a report to council.
“These enhancements are needed to appropriately maintain daily and scheduled maintenance demands, to deliver an enhanced suite of citywide functional community programs and services, and to provide quality customer service and administrative support to facility patrons,” said the report. “Existing operational budgets for Canada Games Pool and Centennial Community Centre will be combined to fund the operation of TACC. Further operating budget enhancements are necessitated in order to deliver the scope of service as prioritized by the community in the project planning phases.”
Dean Gibson, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said TACC's design supports expanded aquatic, fitness and community recreation programs and services. He said enhanced programming will enable more opportunities for services for youth, seniors, drop-in sports and sport leagues.
“Up to 3,000 people each day are expected to visit the facility and engage with the customer service desk for admission, registration, facility rentals and general information,” he recently told council. “Twenty-four hour a day, seven day per week operations for building services will be needed to maintain the cleanliness of the facility and operate the many mechanical and technical systems needed to support this high-performance building.”
Gibson said the grounds of təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre feature generous exterior open spaces, outdoor play areas, public art, natural environment enhancements, and an expansion of the urban forest, all of which will necessitate ongoing care and upkeep.
A report to council stated that “daily and preventative maintenance requirements” are expected to be double those of the previous facilities. Buildings operations staff and pool service workers are among the facility’s new staffing needs.
According to a staff memo, new pro-rated expenses for 2024 total $1.46 million. Those costs are related to new staffing for the facility (customer service and administrative support, building operations, engineering operations, and program delivery), as well as water and sewer, electricity, supplies for programs and other operating costs.
“The new TACC operating model incorporates operating budgets and permanent staff positions from the former CGP and CCC, supplemented by additional resources in order to support expanded sustainability targets, building operations, grounds works and programs and services,” said the report.
The report stated new pro-rated revenue projections from registrations, rentals and active pass sales are estimated at $490,000 in 2024. That leaves the city with a net operating subsidy of $970,000 for the facility in 2024.
Council priorities
According to a staff report, the replacement of natural gas with electricity as the sole energy source creates a “significant improvement” in the city’s greenhouse gas reduction targets, but it does some with a “marked impact” to the facility’s operating expenses.
Gibson said the project is aligned with council's strategic priorities, including community belonging and connecting, asset management and infrastructure, accessibility and inclusion, and Indigenous People and reconciliation. It will also support the city’s Seven Bold Steps for Climate Action.
“TACC will be the first aquatic centre in Canada to achieve the Canada Green Building Council Zero Carbon building standard,” Gibson said. “Design and constructed to a LEED gold standard, təməsew̓txʷ features electric vehicle charging stations, carbon-free energy generation through roof-mounted solar panels, over 200 new trees, on-site storm water capture, and systems to improve indoor air and water quality.”
Like its predecessors, təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre is projected to be open to the public Monday to Friday from 5:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
In a recent budget workshop, Coun. Ruby Campbell questioned staff about what would happen if council didn’t fund the budget requested related to the aquatic and community centre.
“A building of that particular size requires a certain level of operation just to keep the doors open and the lights on, regardless of the services and programs that take place within it,” Gibson said. “Typically, if the funding proposal as presented is adjusted downwards, we're likely to be looking at a fewer operational hours. That would generally be the place that we would look at. So, shorter hours of operation across each operational day. I don't have the specific details around that.”
