Photo: The City of Enderby

A new pool may be coming to Enderby, and the preliminary concept designs have been released.

Upon hearing the suggestions from a public survey in 2019, the proposed facility will include a five-lane lap pool, a leisure pool, waterslide, hot tub and a lazy river. There will be stands on the outside of the pool area for family and friends, and an upgraded changing area that will provide more privacy.

"We are planning to locate the new pool on the north side of Barnes Park, adjacent to King Avenue," says Enderby CAO Tate Bengtson. "This location will provide more parking and create new opportunities to use the southwest corner of Barnes Park, where the pool is currently located, for other recreational opportunities."

The current pool was built in 1954 and is still fully functional, well past a typical pool's lifespan. Even though there is nothing inherently wrong with the current facility, the city decided it is time for an upgrade.

"Pools are getting replaced elsewhere in the country that were built during the late '60s and early '70s," says Bengtson. "From the early design stage through to completed construction can take around 5 years – if not longer – so if we wait for a major failure that ends the operation of the pool, it means that our community will be without a public pool for a long time."

The estimated cost of the new facility is $5.6 million, with the city seeking a $5 million infrastructure grant to cover the majority of the cost. The remaining $600,000 will be funded from money saved for this specific purpose and an interfund loan, so the city expects there will be no tax increase for Enderby residents.

Applications for the infrastructure grant will be accepted until Oct. 22, and if Enderby's application is successful, construction will be expecting to start in the early summer of 2022.

"If we are unsuccessful in the grant application, we will postpone the project until another opportunity or approach is identified," says Bengtson. "This could involve postponing construction of the new pool until another source of grant funding is obtained, or proceeding with a referendum for external borrowing, which may involve reducing the scale of the project."

The City of Enderby says the current pool will continue to operate until it is no longer affordable or safe to do so. If a new pool does not end up being built, and the current one ceases operations, Enderby residents will have to travel to other communities and use their facilities.

For more information and to see more concept design pictures, you can visit the city's website.