The City of Vancouver is aiming to fix Kitsilano Pool by July 24.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim announced July 5 the pool will open to the public on Aug. 7, barring unforeseen challenges.
The City of Vancouver further detailed the pool’s repair timeline to the Journal of Commerce in a written statement.
The pool is more than 50 years old and is nearing its end-of life phase with “many failing and deteriorating components, including the membrane, expansion joints and the concrete structure, which has added complexity to maintenance, repair and preparation to open this summer,” reads the statement.
The pool also sustained major storm damage from the King Storm event in 2022, where a king tide and intense storm activity combined to cause flooding along the Vancouver seawall and in downtown Squamish, B.C.
“At the capital plan midterm update last month, staff asked council to reallocate more than $5 million for Kitsilano Pool repairs, capital maintenance and a replacement feasibility study to plan for next steps on the renewal of the Kitsilano Pool.
“Depending on any unexpected findings from inspections underway, our contractor anticipates completing all pool repair works by July 24. City staff will then clean and prepare the pool to be filled,” the statement added. “Maintenance teams will work collaboratively with park board staff to clean, fill, heat and treat the pool water, which will take approximately two weeks.”
The City of Vancouver has engaged Scott Construction as the contractor for the repair project, “and (they) have been engaged to commence repairs to Kitsilano Pool, including repairs to the supply pipe and membrane failures. Input on the project has also included pro bono advice from a consultant.”
The consultant referred to in the City of Vancouver statement is Jeff Stibbard, the founder and CEO of JDS Energy and Mining.
City staff have interim solutions to address known failing components, including critical equipment such as damaged water supply piping and based on inspections completed to date and advice from Stibbard and Scott Construction, the statement said,” it currently appears feasible that the plumbing system can be repaired sufficiently to reopen the pool for operations within the next month.”
While the pool will be repaired in order to function for this season, a replacement is in the works.
“Once this summer season ends, a planned next phase will be the installation of a pool liner to extend the life of the pool, while we undertake a feasibility study on a complete reimagining of a rebuild of the Kitsilano Outdoor Pool,” it added.
This study would be done in partnership with the Vancouver Park Board and look at a modernized outdoor aquatics facility that is more resilient to climate change, storms and storm impacts.
“Every Vancouverite has a memory from Kits Pool. It’s where many of us learned to swim, where we met up with friends on sunny days, and where families enjoyed summer vacations. As one of the most iconic pools in Canada, our council is dedicated to ensuring it remains a centerpiece of our city while we move forward with plans for a new facility,” Sim said at the late June council meeting about a future replacement pool.