Concept design of new Enderby pool (Image credit: City of Enderby)

By Pete McIntyre

$5 million grant

Senior governments footing bill for new Enderby pool

Apr 13, 2022 | 3:44 PM

The City of Enderby is moving forward with plans for a new outdoor pool after landing a $5-million federal-provincial grant.

The city’s current pool was built in 1954 and is at the end of its life cycle.

“Our old pool had a tremendous service life,” said Mayor Greg McCune, “but limitations in its size and design prevented it from keeping pace with the diverse needs of our community. There was not enough room for lap swimmers to enjoy their activities at the same time as other leisure activities were occurring. We were missing opportunities for our pool to serve as a recreational amenity, a therapy opportunity, and an inclusive way to build community.

McCune said in 2020, a full-fledged effort was made to make a new pool a reality.

“A vision was developed and an architect was retained. Elected officials, staff, and stakeholders put their respective noses to the grindstone and collaborated on a design that would send Enderby’s pool game to the next level.”

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Concept design of new Enderby Pool. (Image credit: City of Enderby)

The new pool offers many new or improved amenities to the community, such as:

• Shallower areas to make it easier for parents and tots to exercise and participate in programs together;
• A zero (beach) entry so that persons living with mobility challenges can gain access to the pool more easily;
• A lazy river that mimics the Shuswap River to teach current and water safety while providing relaxation and therapeutic uses;
• An upgraded slide that will be more entertaining for kids;
• Five lanes that are 25 metres long (rather than 25 yards), which makes it more consistent with contemporary standards and competitive swimming needs;
• Changing areas that provide more privacy so that they are more inclusive;
• An expanded leisure water area to not only encourage play, but also to make it easier to run multiple programs or events simultaneously;
• A hot tub.

The city’s chief administrative officer, Tate Bengtson, said they will complete detailed design over the course of this year and anticipate tendering near the end of 2022, with a ground breaking in 2023.

“We won’t know the timeline for completion until we progress further into the detailed design work,” Bengtson told Vernon Matters.

Bengtson said the the local government contribution – from the Enderby & District Services Commission, comprised of the City of Enderby and Area F of RDNO – is $600,000.

Area F Director Denis Delisle said they knew the old pool could not last much longer, and is not meeting today’s needs.

“Our community has grown and it has become more diverse. Inclusion has become a cornerstone of our social fabric. These were all things that we wanted to see addressed in the new pool design. Things like inclusive change rooms and a ‘beach’ entry that is accessible for persons living with mobility challenges will benefit the public for generations to come,” said Delisle.

Concept design of hot tub and new Enderby Pool (Image credit: City of Enderby)

Splatsin is also on board with the project and Kukpi7 (chief) Doug Thomas said he’s excited to see a new facility that will continue to offer swimming lessons to youth to provide them with the skills and awareness to keep them safe around water.

“The age-friendly design will give our elders an easier way to access the pool independently, for therapy and social interactions with their families,” Thomas remarked.

Mayor McCune said they are grateful to the federal and provincial governments for their support of a new pool.

“We could not have accomplished this without their support. With the hard work and vision of so many people who have gotten us this far, I am thrilled that we now have the means to transform this vision into a reality, and continue to demonstrate why Enderby is such a special place to live, work, and play,” the mayor commented.