They came in like a wrecking ball — and the Canada Games Pool as New Westminster knew it is no more.
The old pool, built in 1972 for the 1973 Canada Summer Games, was a centre for swimming, swim lessons and fitness for New Westminster families for decades. It was always intended to eventually close down, to make way for the new təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre.
But its long life came to an earlier-than-anticipated end in September 2021, when the city shut down the facility due to flooding in the mechanical room. The city then later made the decision to not reopen the facility after a leak was found in the pool's main tank and the city determined repairs would be too expensive.
Visible demolition work on the old pool started Monday. As of today (Tuesday, Oct. 4), a heap of metal and other rubble was what remained of the centre of the old building, though the front and back sections remain standing.
The demolition work means the greenway access that runs behind the pool, connecting Cumberland Street and McBride Boulevard, is now shut down. Temporary greenway access now runs along McBride Boulevard and East Sixth Avenue instead.
You can find a map outlining the greenway route at the city's project construction website, where you can also find a live construction cam.
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