Active Living Centre new concept design for the leisure pool. (Image courtesy of City of Vernon)

By Pete McIntyre

Price tag now $136M

Up to $15 million in extra features added to Vernon’s Active Living Centre to make it more fun

Feb 26, 2024 | 3:55 PM

Vernon city council has approved the conceptual design for the new Active Living Centre which includes a several improvements that were not part of the initial design.

The cost of the extras will add up to $15 million to the facility’s $121 million price tag ($136 million).

The city said the state-of-the-art multi-purpose facility planed for Kin Race Track Park will be about 12,000 square meters (130,000 square feet), 464 square meters (5,000 square feet) larger than originally proposed.

The ALC will include an aquatic centre with an eight lane 50-meter pool with a moveable bulkhead and two diving boards; leisure pool with zero depth beach entry; tot slide; spray features; a lazy river and a family hot tub. Also featured will be a warm water 25-meter x 3 lane teaching pool; sauna; steam room and adult’s only hot tub. The facility also includes a fitness centre, double gymnasium with multiple sports courts, a synthetic walking/running track and eight dedicated multipurpose activity and program rooms.

“Throughout the referendum process, council heard that the community wanted a fun family-friendly facility designed for individuals of all ages and abilities,” Mayor Victor Cumming said.

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Planned enhancements to the original conceptual design include a major water slide, a Wow WaveBall, a Ninja Cross course, additional interactive spray features, a cold plunge pool as well as increasing the length of the walking/running track to 185 meters and adding a fourth lane.

Active Living Centre new concept design, leisure pool. (Image courtesy of City of Vernon)

Cumming said council has decided to invest up to $15 million, in addition to the budgeted $121 million, to facilitate the enhancements that are over and above what was proposed in the initial feasibility study design.

“This additional investment means that we have been able to include fun water features, incorporate the Syilx Culture into the building design and ensure the new facility is Net Zero Ready and Rick Hanson Gold Level Certified as well as to address cost escalation experienced in the past two years,” Cumming said.

The upgraded features will be funded by reserves, and other grant opportunities will be pursued to offset costs. If needed, the additional $15 million identified will be accessed in 2026.

“We have achieved the goal to design the ALC to meet the every day recreational needs of a growing community with the ability to host events,” Doug Ross Manager, Project Program, said. “The facility has been made large enough to accommodate our community’s projected growth and to host events such as provincial swim meets and tournaments for a variety of sports with features like permanent raised spectator seating over the pool, portable bleachers and enough pool deck, gymnasium and multipurpose space to accommodate athletes, coaches, and officials.”

Speaking with Vernon Matters following the regular meeting Monday, Feb. 26, Councillor and Acting Mayor, Kari Gares, said the public’s wants for a fun amenities in the recreation centre had been heard.

“The thought on the street originally was that it was a bit of a dull, non-family oriented facility and we heard that and we’ve invested money to make sure that it is exactly a family-fun oriented facility,” Gares said.

“So that’s why we added those extra features.”

Gares added the concept drawings are a starting point, and that the facility will be more colourful and include more artwork than showed in the images, but said these allow the public to get a feeling for what the new recreation centre would look like.

“So obviously it’s going to evolve as we continue going through the process, but looking at the physical amenities within the facility,” Gares stated.

“It’s exciting to see that kind of come to fruition because those are the things that our community has needed and needed for a very long time and it’s also going to support the continued growth of our community is going to be experiencing over the next few decades.”

The concept drawings can be seen here.

Project Background

On October 15, 2022, citizens of Vernon voted nearly 61 percent in favour of borrowing $121 million for the development of the Active Living Centre.

Since late September 2023, the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) team has worked to refine the conceptual design and develop the construction timeline and budget. The IPD model merges the facility owner, architect, general contractor, and other partners early in the development process.

In April, the IPD team will provide Council with a virtual walk through of the facility along with a validation report that will include a more refined design, will confirm the construction schedule and the final project cost.

Site preparations are anticipated this spring with construction beginning this summer. The ALC is anticipated to be open in Fall 2026 and will be constructed at 3501 43rd Avenue, west of Kal Tire Place.

For more information on the Active Living Centre project, visit vernonalc.ca and everyone is also invited to attend one of the upcoming open house opportunities:

• City of Vernon Capital Infrastructure Open House at the Creekside Conference Centre in the Vernon Recreation Centre on Thursday February 29 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
• Vernon Home Show at Kal Tire Place & Kal Tire Place North on Saturday, March 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce Community Expo at Kal Tire Place North on Saturday, April 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.