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PROPOSED
Crystal Pool and Wellness Centre
Use: commercial
Address: 2275 Quadra Street
Municipality: Victoria
Region: Urban core
Storeys: 2
The City of Victoria is exploring the option of replacing the aging Crystal Pool Fitness Centre with a modern ... (view full profile)
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Crystal Pool and Wellness Centre project


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#2201 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 19 January 2025 - 05:43 AM

Mayor Marianne Alto told the Times Colonist that residents should not be concerned that a “no” vote means no pool.

“I think what it means is we have to figure out another way. I do think we need a rec centre with a pool; the question is, is this the right one?” Alto said. “If the people on [Feb. 8] say no, then we go back to saying, ‘OK, well if not this one, then what?’

“On the other hand, if people say yes, then we go ahead with this one.”

Alto said she can live with whichever result comes out of the vote.

She said she’s heard the concerns raised by some residents and expects if the vote is a “no” it will be for a combination of reasons ranging from the pricetag and impact on property taxes to bad timing or issues with the design.

If that happens, Alto expects the city to go back to the drawing board and find a project that will work.


https://www.timescol...-stake-10098190

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 19 January 2025 - 05:43 AM.


#2202 Mike K.

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Posted 19 January 2025 - 08:38 AM

UVic will eventually rebuild its pool. Why not partner with them?

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#2203 Jacques Cadé

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Posted 19 January 2025 - 09:26 AM

^ UVic says it will have to partner with somebody if it's going to fix its pool. According to this story on CHEK yesterday, UVic claims the repair costs are far higher than suggested by the documents obtained by FOI: https://cheknews.ca/...stions-1234597/

 

.... In a statement, UVic says the 2023 RJC Engineer’s report, along with reports from UVic staff were part of a larger assessment.

 

“As a result of these assessments, UVic received a summary report that supported the university’s decision to close the pool in September 2024. It’s important to note that the cost estimate provided by RJC for their structural assessment is part of a broader assessment that also included pool support systems, ventilation, mechanical systems, project costs and insurance costs associated with upgrading a facility of this age,” said the University.

 

They added that this year, the school doesn’t have additional funding available to cover the anticipated remediation and operational costs.

 

“If the costs of remediation and reopening are not prohibitive from a fundraising and partnership perspective, we would welcome working with those who have shared their willingness to support us in operating the pool on an interim basis.”

The new report is expected to be released in the coming weeks.


Edited by Jacques Cadé, 19 January 2025 - 09:27 AM.

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#2204 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 05:33 AM

More information needed on pool choice

While being encouraged to fund a new pool and amenities, no information is provided on what will happen if the referendum fails.

 

Will the pool be torn down and supportive housing provided in its place?

 

Will the pool be torn down and the area just be a park?

 

My household has two votes, and we need more information on what will happen either way.

 

 

Blair Humphrey

Victoria

 

 

https://www.victoria...nment/elections

 

 

 

Of course, in their infinite wisdom, the City has not provided an answer to this question.



#2205 Mike K.

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 06:31 AM

VV op-ed:

🔹Pool our resources: UVic’s McKinnon Pool closure opens opportunity for cooperation with Victoria’s Crystal Pool pursuit, and so much more🔹

Could a marriage of convenience and a pooling of resources be the smart path forward for swimming woes in the Capital Region?

A new pool just might be the missing catalyst to bring the City of Victoria and the University of Victoria together, to deliver a long-talked about UVic campus to the city centre, with housing, education spaces and a cost-shared pool that if planned right, would avoid a financial deep dive for exhausted Victoria taxpayers while giving UVic high profile exposure in the heart of the Capital.

In a twist of fate, UVic was forced to shutter its McKinnon Pool last September due to rising costs and the state of the facility, as the City of Victoria announced voters would be asked to cast a ballot for a historic borrowing initiative to replace a battered Crystal Pool before it too faces shut-down.

As UVic contemplates what to do with its closed on-campus pool, the City of Victoria is seeking voter support to borrow upwards of $169 million for what could be a $216 million replacement for its beleaguered Crystal Pool in North Park, built in the 70s and described by the City as in need of immediate replacement.

At that price tag, and with the prospect of rapidly rising property taxation aside from debt brought on by a new pool, taxpayers are understandably nervous.

Considering the similar scenarios both the University and the City face, and the many years of musing about a campus in the city centre plus the many years of many talks of housing for UVic students in the municipality, could this be the perfect time to bring the two parties together and find a financially prudent, multi-faceted solution that solves multiple problems and benefits both parties all in one ‘stroke?’

Surely, an opportunity like this doesn’t come around often, and yet today, right now, it is staring down our civic leadership, just begging to be noticed.
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#2206 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 06:37 AM

I've got a question.  How does the Crystal plan to heat their pools and building space?  With only electricity, right?



#2207 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 06:39 AM

VV op-ed:

Pool our resources: UVic’s McKinnon Pool closure opens opportunity for cooperation with Victoria’s Crystal Pool pursuit, and so much more

Could a marriage of convenience and a pooling of resources be the smart path forward for swimming woes in the Capital Region?

A new pool just might be the missing catalyst to bring the City of Victoria and the University of Victoria together, to deliver a long-talked about UVic campus to the city centre, with housing, education spaces and a cost-shared pool that if planned right, would avoid a financial deep dive for exhausted Victoria taxpayers while giving UVic high profile exposure in the heart of the Capital.

In a twist of fate, UVic was forced to shutter its McKinnon Pool last September due to rising costs and the state of the facility, as the City of Victoria announced voters would be asked to cast a ballot for a historic borrowing initiative to replace a battered Crystal Pool before it too faces shut-down.

As UVic contemplates what to do with its closed on-campus pool, the City of Victoria is seeking voter support to borrow upwards of $169 million for what could be a $216 million replacement for its beleaguered Crystal Pool in North Park, built in the 70s and described by the City as in need of immediate replacement.

At that price tag, and with the prospect of rapidly rising property taxation aside from debt brought on by a new pool, taxpayers are understandably nervous.

Considering the similar scenarios both the University and the City face, and the many years of musing about a campus in the city centre plus the many years of many talks of housing for UVic students in the municipality, could this be the perfect time to bring the two parties together and find a financially prudent, multi-faceted solution that solves multiple problems and benefits both parties all in one ‘stroke?’

Surely, an opportunity like this doesn’t come around often, and yet today, right now, it is staring down our civic leadership, just begging to be noticed.

 

You're really giving our City politicians and administration too much credit.  They could never think their way through any type of partnership like this.



#2208 Mike K.

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 06:54 AM

It may require the province to step in to steer that issue towards a fruitful outcome.

We cannot possibly be in a scenario, where UVic needs a pool, the Y needs a pool, and the City needs a pool, and not realize we can solve a lot of problems with one facility.
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#2209 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 07:07 AM

It may require the province to step in to steer that issue towards a fruitful outcome.

We cannot possibly be in a scenario, where UVic needs a pool, the Y needs a pool, and the City needs a pool, and not realize we can solve a lot of problems with one facility.

 

You are also giving the provincial politicians too much credit. 


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#2210 Mike K.

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 07:17 AM

I still feel like the Capital squandered its once in a century opportunity to have greatly benefited from having John from Langford as premier.

It’s too bad COVID got in the way, and it’s also too bad whoever was advising Horgan, advised him to spend time on reconceptualizing the RBCM, that nobody aside from special interest wanted the province to do, instead of focusing on more important issues. I mean the Malahat remains stuck in some bizarro world two-lane master plan that won’t solve the problems we currently face, but will cost surreal sums of money to update. I just don’t get it.

Under the Eby government I feel like we’re learning as we go and just throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks. The housing policies are all over the place and lack the supports needed to make communities ‘whole.’ The province just wants to densify at all cost. Ok, so what about stuff like pools??

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#2211 Barrister

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 07:34 AM

How about stuff like hospitals and doctors and jobs that are something other than government jobs?


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#2212 dasmo

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 07:48 AM

We don’t need an Olympic training centre there. We need a community aquatic wellness and play centre. Anyone who uses pools could see that. The vote would be instant if that was proposed and at a real cost.
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#2213 dasmo

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 07:50 AM

How about stuff like hospitals and doctors and jobs that are something other than government jobs?

Ya, we actually reduced that capacity during Covid. While John was dismantling our museum.

#2214 aastra

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 06:39 PM

Somebody was going door-to-door today trying to collect donations for the new pool. I gave him a glass of water.


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#2215 aastra

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Posted 22 January 2025 - 06:40 PM

Methinks we should all be ashamed that it took more than 2,000 posts in this thread before someone played that (hilarious) joke.



#2216 Wheelchair accessible

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Posted 23 January 2025 - 04:04 PM

The second floor is not Mobility Accessible for any Devices, this is unacceptable and discrimination and the mayor should know better of Victoria BC.

 

Any blue prints coming out from city hall are showing only parts of the inside of the pool, but not showing the full inside of the first floor of the pool, and not showing the full second floor inside of the pool.

 

therefore most of the blue prints are of outside, and not showing patriots, the full pictures inside as well Mobility Accessible for any Devices on both floors.

 

 

last time I checked when you bring a Proposal to your boss all the I's had to be dotted & T's crossed for funding, and if the boss was not pleased due to errors and flaws then the Proposal

would be scratched and you would be told to go back to the drawing board.



#2217 Blair M.

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Posted 23 January 2025 - 06:45 PM

This is actually a great point, the detailed accessibility issue, and so much more:

 

  • What exactly are Victoria taxpayers getting for their $220 million (more likely $300 million?) dollars?
  • Where are the complete requirements of a new training/recreational pool facility, and where are the detailed specifics of how those requirements are going to be met?
  • Where are the drawings? - Plan, section, landscape?
  • Why hasn't our friend above and his fellow accessibility advocates had a chance to parse the complete set of plans, and offer their expert advice (a very common practice in the design of a public facility)?
  • How many Victoria based professional swim coaches have seen the complete plans, and been offered a chance to comment?
  • Why haven't we heard from anybody in the competative swim community that they've seen the detailed plans, and that they approve of the design?
  • Are Mayor and Council suddenly the sole competitive/recreational swimming experts providing input on this new pool design?
  • Who are the experts guaranteeing that the pools design meets all of the required criteria, and where is the documentation publicly available?

 

A lot of unanswered questions, although I suppose that I could have missed a press release here and there?

Despite looking, I've found no official details offering any answers to any of the above seemingly obvious questions.

 



#2218 GaryOak

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Posted 23 January 2025 - 08:09 PM

The second floor is not Mobility Accessible for any Devices, this is unacceptable and discrimination and the mayor should know better of Victoria BC.
 
Any blue prints coming out from city hall are showing only parts of the inside of the pool, but not showing the full inside of the first floor of the pool, and not showing the full second floor inside of the pool.
 
therefore most of the blue prints are of outside, and not showing patriots, the full pictures inside as well Mobility Accessible for any Devices on both floors.
 
 
last time I checked when you bring a Proposal to your boss all the I's had to be dotted & T's crossed for funding, and if the boss was not pleased due to errors and flaws then the Proposal
would be scratched and you would be told to go back to the drawing board.


I thought we already went over this a couple months ago. They are not going to build an inaccessible pool.

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#2219 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 24 January 2025 - 05:24 AM

The City of Victoria won’t be changing its Crystal Pool referendum ads and posters, despite two city councillors saying the ads are biased toward a “yes” vote.

 

The majority of council rejected a motion that would have stopped the advertising while ensuring reasoning for both a “yes” and “no” vote is included in information sessions and online.

 

Councillors opposing a change argued information distributed about the vote is neutral and it’s too late to change the information stream two weeks before residents cast a ballot.

 

 

https://www.timescol...rendum-10123674


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 24 January 2025 - 05:24 AM.


#2220 spanky123

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Posted 24 January 2025 - 10:59 AM

last time I checked when you bring a Proposal to your boss all the I's had to be dotted & T's crossed for funding, and if the boss was not pleased due to errors and flaws then the Proposal

would be scratched and you would be told to go back to the drawing board.

 

Maybe this is why Burnaby FIRED HCMA yet for some crazy unknown reason we have kept them on and are quickly marching down the same destructive path.



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