No commission meeting this week, so today’s Commissioner’s Report is concerned with a couple of meetings I held recently on Civic Center Pool and the proposed pedestrian bridge project.
By now I’m sure most people are aware of the work session we have this Tuesday regarding the status/future of our athletic facilities. Our first goal at this meeting will be to provide some direction to staff regarding our soccer fields. But that is not our only opportunity.
Civic Center Pool Status
On Thursday I had the opportunity to meet with our city manager, leisure services director, and the owner of Water Technology Inc. (WTI) – a worldwide leader in pools and what he calls “water-tainment”.
Our Leisure Services Director, Catherine Vorrasi, has worked with WTI in her previous jobs out West and asked them to give us an assessment of our facility before our meeting on Tuesday.
His initial preliminary assessment included the following:
- Large pool with great deck space
- Pool complements the Civic Center
- Pool, even in its current state, can be reconditioned
- Mechanical equipment is updateable
- Enhance and modernize the entry experience
- Expand program offerings to increase participation (especially if the pool is heated, and depth increased to include competitive swimming events)
He also recommended removing the kiddle pool in favor of a more kid-friendly interactive water feature which would make sense.
A city of 20,000 people can certainly support a public pool. The key is programming and returning the pool to a condition that allows for competitive swimming to return and heating the pool to make it an option year-round.
The city staff was very receptive to the initial report. Ms. Vorrasi’s background is competitive swimming so if anyone can make full use of an upgraded facility she and her team can.
WTI expects to have a report ready for our meeting on Tuesday. Included in this expanded report should be a prioritization table as well as some cost estimates of the work necessary. I will be very interested to get other commissioner’s opinions on the topic.
Pedestrian Bridge Update
A pedestrian bridge that would span highway 60 and connect the Ft. Fraser Trail has been a project that has been around for a while now. DOT funded the design of the project. I reached out to the engineer in charge to get an update on its progress.
Mr. Diggs and I spent about 30 minutes together via Zoom. He estimates the initial design work is approximately 75% completed. The team hopes to have drawings available for review by early summer.
But, the City does have some work to do in the interim.
Funding the design work does not mean that the project is guaranteed to move forward. As it stands now, there is no funding for ultimate construction. And, given the state budget cuts that have delayed several projects that have already been funded it is not likely we will see a pedestrian bridge soon.
While this is discouraging, the city still has some work we can pursue. It is well documented that trails have a very positive impact on a city’s general quality of life. So I think it is important that we continue to advocate for the Ft. Fraser Trail to be expanded through our city.
When the design work is completed and shared with the Commission I plan to ask for a work session where we can discuss items that will need to be determined (right of way acquisition, resolutions of support, etc.). We need to demonstrate to the Transportation Planning Organization and the DOT the city’s desire to have the project be funded and proceed.
Greater Investment in Amenities
If nothing else all of the conversations recently has served to highlight the need for greater investment in the Cities amenities. It seems most recently the cities spending on infrastructure projects has outpaced our amenities spending. I believe the next few spending cycles will see that pattern begin to reverse.
