The City of Delta is about to launch a public feedback process on the plan to replace the Winksill Aquatic and Fitness Centre with a new facility.
Public engagement is to help shape the design for the new Tsawwassen facility that will cost in the $120-to-$130 million range.
Council last month gave the go-ahead for staff to start consultations with user groups and residents after agreeing to have a new facility built rather than renovating the existing building, which opened in the mid-1970s.
Council was told a recent assessment determined the costs would be equivalent.
The city notes that a multi-phase process has been designed that will ensure interested parties have the information and opportunities they need to participate meaningfully in planning efforts.
The first phase is to inform the community about the need for a new facility, the work that has been completed to date and the process going forward, including community engagement.
The second phase will get underway once the contract is awarded to the architect. That phase of engagement will invite input on key features such as lanes, leisure pool and fitness centre features and facility location within the park.
The input gathered in the second phase will be used to finalize the scope and detailed design of the facility. The detailed design will be shared with user groups and the community in the third phase for further input on the aesthetics.
The anticipated timeline would see groundbreaking in 2025 with the new facility opening in 2027, at which time the old building would close.
“There are additional recreation facility upgrades and expansions needed to meet the growth in the city beyond Winskill. Once the Winskill replacement progresses to the construction stage, staff will commence planning and engagement with the community to identify recreation facility needs for other parts of the city,” a staff report notes.
