Ground breaking event involving members of Vernon city council and the project team for the $136 million Active Living Centre on 43rd Avenue. (Vernon Matters photo)

By Pete McIntyre

'exciting day for Vernon'

‘Bold initiative:’ Ground breaking ceremony held for Active Living Centre

Apr 8, 2024 | 1:15 PM

Seven years after the idea was first discussed, ground has been broken on a new Active Living Centre (ALC) in Vernon.

City of Vernon staff, council members and members of the project’s designing and construction team were on hand for the chilly sod turning event on Monday, April 8, at the Kin Race Track site on 43rd Avenue, just west of Kal Tire Place.

The ceremony was held shortly after city council’s committee of the whole approved the finalized design, budget and construction schedule for the ALC.

“This is an exciting day for Vernon,” Mayor Victor Cumming said. “The community has shaped this facility. The ALC will be a tremendous asset to our community and the region and will provide people with an accessible and welcoming space to be active, learn, connect and have fun.”

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The multi-purpose facility will include an aquatic centre with an eight lane 50-meter pool with a moveable bulkhead, two diving boards and a Ninja Cross course; leisure pool with zero depth beach entry; tot slide; interactive spray features; a lazy river, a Wow WaveBall, a major waterslide, and a family hot tub. Also partof it will be a warm water 25-meter x 3 lane teaching pool; sauna; steam room, cold plunge pool and adult’s only hot tub. The plans also include a fitness centre, double gymnasium with multiple sports courts, a four-lane 185m synthetic walking/running track and eight dedicated multipurpose activity and program rooms.

Cumming said the project, which he called “a bold initiative by council,” will be completed for less than $136 million with council setting the maximum cost at $135,941,009.

“What we’ve done is an integrated project team where we hired the architect and the builder right at the first day and we embedded to of our key staff, purchasing and recreation, right into the team, and right from the beginning, they’re focused on how they can deliver a project that can meet this list of the things they have to do for the money we had,” Cumming told Vernon Matters and other media.

Electors in Vernon approved borrowing up to $121 million for the project in an October 2022 referendum.

Up to $15 million in enhancements were added to the concept design which Cumming said will come from reserves and investment income, and they may not need to spend all of that extra amount. The city is also applying for senior government grants.

The new building will replace the Vernon Recreation Centre which opened in 1966, with the pool to be decommissioned but the building still used for city purposes.

Doug Ross, the city’s former long-time Recreation Services director who retired from that job just last year, is the ALC’s project program manager.

Doug Ross, project program manager for ALC (Vernon Matters photo)

Ross said he and the city’s former chief administrative officer, Will Pearce, were having lunch at Boston Pizza in 2017, and talked about what would have to happen to make a facility like this a reality.

“He walked me through the process of a referendum, and a feasibility study, and now here we are today. We followed that game plan and it’s led to today,” Ross told Vernon Matters, adding he’s excited about the project which should be completed in the fall of 2026.

Mayor Cumming said the centre will be used by residents around the North Okanagan, adding Greater Vernon is growing by about 1,000 residents a year.

“That is bringing a little over 500 households new to the city each year, so we have to have a facility that can provide [recreation] effectively.”

Randy Kyrzyk, senior vice-president of operations for the builder, Clark Builders, said their Western Canadian company is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and takes great pride in recreation projects.

“We’ve completed over 50 similar projects as this one,” Kyrzyk said at the event.

He added the company employs over 800 staff and is focused on “maximizing the value for its owners through lean management practices.”

Stephen Faust, the project architect from Group2 Architects, is thrilled to get the chance to work on the centre.

“All the effort, the bold choices, and the discussions that have come before this are all leading us towards this great project. We’re going to start seeing things happening here really soon,” Faust said.

Fencing has been put up around the work site and Kyrzyk said the site office complex will be added in the next couple weeks, with earth works and site service contractors in the process of being secured.

Concrete crews will work over the summer months, with steel arriving late this year.

The city recognizes that construction activities may cause some inconvenience and every effort will be made to minimize disruptions to the community.

For people attending events at Kal Tire Place, the overflow gravel parking area at the south end of the Kin Race Track lands will be made available as much as possible. While construction activities may impact this area, every effort will be made to maximize the parking available.

For safety of the public, walkers and other users of the track area will be limited to the north end of the Kin Race Track lands. Walkers are asked to use the parking lot at Kal Tire Place North.

For more information on the Active Living Centre project, visit vernonalc.ca.