Aquatic Centre

Lots of construction and operational planning activities are underway as we prepare to open mid September! Some other updates are:

• The lobby is being finished this week
• Commissioning has begun on various pool mechanical components and the waterslide
• Employees are learning how to operate all of the circulation and filtration portions of operating the facility
• Spray park completion is delayed due to wet weather this month and will unfortunately not be available for use this summer

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Opening Date – September 18

The Aquatic Centre is scheduled to open to the public on September 18.  City Council recently approved for the Aquatic Centre to be open 60 hours per week this fall.  The pool’s schedule and hours will be posted on the website when finalized. 

Aquatic Programming

When the Aquatic Centre opens after September 18, 2020, we will be able to offer public swim and lane swim. Swimming lessons and other aquatic programming will be very limited at first due to COVID-19 restrictions.  We are working with aquatic authorities and monitoring how other pools begin to safely operate programming and we will adjust our plans as permitted.

Existing Passholders  

The remaining time left on all existing Aquatic passes that were put on hold due to the renovation will be honored.  After September 1, 2020, existing pass holders can call the Aquatic Centre at 780.672.9909 to reactivate their pass.      

New Pool Memberships & Room Rentals

After September 9, 2020, new pool memberships will be available to purchase online. There will be monthly, six-month, and annual passes as well as 10-pass punch cards.  

The new Aquatic Centre will also have several rooms available for bookings: the renovated Board Room and Kin 1 and 2 rooms as well as two new Aquatic Community Rooms (for pool birthday parties).  Online bookings for these rooms will open September 9, 2020. 

COVID-19 Safety Precautions

Maximum pool capacity is currently restricted to 100 people in Alberta and all staff and swimmers must follow health authority guidelines including physical distancing, hand hygiene, staying home when ill, and more.  Protocols are being developed to safely use the pool and public spaces in the Aquatic Centre to be able to meet requirements from health authorities.

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The construction site at the Aquatic Centre is still a busy place! Here are a few highlights:

• Pool deck tile is complete, to be grouted
• Steam Room tile is complete, to be grouted
• Tiling prep and tile ongoing in staff area
• Staff change rooms and office have been tiled
• Final clean of expansion along with passivation of stainless steel is nearly complete
• Hand rails install ongoing
• North side walk - formwork is ongoing
• Spray park excavation is ongoing for water supply and sanitary lines. Weather conditions will most likely delay its construction by a few weeks
• Council approved a plan to open the Aquatics Centre targeting mid-September with 60 operational hours per week.

Stay tuned for more updates!

The City of Camrose wants to extend a huge thank you to the folks at the Ramada Hotel for assisting us in continuing to offer our preschool swimming lessons and Water Therapy to the community while our Aquatic Centre has been under renovation.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to run any swimming classes over the summer.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding. We’re just as excited as you are to get into the pool! Be sure to keep an eye out for our advertisements for classes once we are able to start offering programming to the community again!

The pool construction has been progressing so far amid the pandemic. However, there is a chance that limitations due to COVID-19 may slow the process down. At this point we are still aiming for a September opening but recognize that there are greater chances of delays.

Thanks for your continued patience.

The construction site is busy over at the Aquatic Centre with workers in all the different corner of the project.  Here are some of the highlights:

Schedule – The schedule is on time according to the updated schedule with an end date of August 2020. Clark Builders is working diligently on overlapping trades and they advised us that the updated schedule is very realistic based on sub trade availability and supply availability but they still are working to see if they can gain some time.

Existing facility roof – a large portion of the natatorium roof (pyramid over the pool area) has been opened up. All required beams have been replaced and to date approximately 1/2 of the wood decking on the roof has been replaced. This has allowed for the temporary center shoring beam and all other shoring to be removed. The Clearstory areas have been opened up and some required replacement structural studs and framing but less than originally anticipated. 

Repairs continue on the Aquatic Centre. New beams are being installed to replace the rotten portion of the roof that was removed. Once the beams are in place, all the layers of the existing roof will be stripped back and new roofing installed.

As Clark Builders began interior renovations, they discovered a significant amount of decay in the wooden roof structure of the existing pool, particularly in areas that were previously hidden within walls. As the work continued over the last five months, the consultants and engineers were able to quantify their findings and develop a proposal to tackle the repairs. The full report to council can be viewed here.

This revised plan will extend the project by approximately eight months, putting the completion date to around August 2020, and will cost an additional $6.3 million, bringing the total project cost to $24 million. Additional funding has been secured without requiring an increase to taxes; however, we will need to reduce or delay some planned capital projects in the future.

Although this has been a disappointing outcome for everyone involved, the result will be a better product for the long-term sustainability of the facility. As well, the architects and consultants have assured us that this route will still be cheaper than it would have been had we decide to demolish / rebuild and that we will end up with a “like-new” building.

As always, we will continue to provide updates as soon as we have them.

Project Update - November 15, 2018

During the early planning stages of the Pool Expansion and Renovation project, the Architect / Engineers responsible for the design performed a visual inspection of the building and determined that it was in reasonably good condition besides needing some minor roof repairs. A hazardous material assessment was also performed and indicated that there was some lead paint and asbestos in certain areas but the removal of this was budgeted.

However during the interior demolition phase, Clark Builders discovered that some of the previously hidden structural steel brackets and wooden roof beams had deteriorated. They also discovered additional areas where hazardous materials would need to be addressed. These findings have resulted in the need for further inspection, testing, and repair work.

At this point, the schedule and cost impacts are unknown until further inspection. Council called a Special Meeting on November 14, 2018 to approve an additional $500,000 of contingency funds to ensure there is enough approved budget to take care of the testing and temporary structural support. Fortunately, initial test results show the main concerns are two specific metal support brackets and one wooden beam. Approximately 2/3 of the beams and supports have already been tested.

Presently all exterior work is on schedule and steel structure installation has begun. However, the exterior work timeline will be dependent on the findings of the interior studies.

• An addition to the existing building which will have an 8 lane 25m competition pool (lane pool) that will be deep enough for swimmers to dive in from the pool deck in the shallow end and from dive blocks in the deep end (10ft)
• A brand new water slide that ends in a runway trough, rather than into the pool which is much safer for slide users and for swimmers
• An in-ground 20 person hot tub
• Two meeting/party rooms that have access right from the pool deck and to outside
• A brand new outdoor water splash park to the immediate south side of the new addition.
• A brand new leisure pool tank with lazy river and very shallow tots play area with play and spray feature along with a mid-size teach pool that will be about .7 to .9 m deep.
• Fully updated change rooms with new tile, paint, fixtures, seating and showers
• A fully family change room converted from the old meeting space and small family change room
• A large welcoming front desk, new tile and paint in the front lobby
• Larger staff change rooms 

• An addition to the existing aquatic centre to the west.
• An eight lane 25 m training / fitness pool with a depth of 1.2 m at the shallow end and 3 m at the deep end. This will include competitive diving blocks with sliding rails, a recreational diving board, integrated steps for easy access, and anchors for future play features. This pool will be kept slightly cooler, at around 28 to 28.5 degrees Celsius, compared to the existing pool, which is kept between 29 to 29.5 degrees Celsius.
• A shallow pool at approximately 1 m deep that will be kept around 31 to 32 degrees Celsius and with easy access entry for water therapy and education.
• A lazy river also kept at approximately 31 to 32 degrees Celsius.
• A tots shallow play area with play and splash features that will also be kept at 31 to 32 degrees Celsius.
• A new water slide that exits into a trough for fun and safe use.
• An accessible in ground hot tub.
• Upgrades to the existing change room facilities, including a major expansion to the Family change room. This will provide additional changing space during peak hours as well.
• Renovations to the front lobby area to provide easier access to the front counter.
• New heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems.
• New pool filtration and water treatment systems for all the pools.
• A steam room.
• Upgraded fire and security alarm systems.
• General cosmetic upgrades to the existing lobby and hall areas.
• A new splash park on the South side of the new addition.

Clark Builders and BR2 Architecture provided Administration with some proposed phasing options which included cost options for the Aquatic Centre Project which were then taken to Council on February 20, 2018.

No concepts or decisions on budget have been made, but currently the options are:

Option 1

• A full-phased with a minimal shut down
• Total time of 26 months
• Approximate cost of $18.1M

A full shut down
• Total time of 15 months
• Approximate cost of $16.6M

• A partial shut down
• Total time of 18 months with a 12 month closure
• Approximate cost of $16.9M

BR2 Architecture (the designers) and the construction firm Clark Builders are finishing up the final touches on the design based on all of the feedback received from many sources.

Once that is complete, the next step will be to go to Council for approval before we move forward.

Stay tuned!

Wawanesa generously donated $30,000 towards our Aquatic Centre Renovation and Expansion Project.

Pictured from left to right are: Darren Daniels from Central Agencies, Cynthia Hunter from Wawanesa, Aquatic Supervisor Marcia Peek, Recreation Facilities Director Dawn Phillips, and Mayor Norm Mayer.

Last week City staff met with the project architects (BR2) to review the latest concept. These were the highlights:

• The importance of keeping pool services open as long as possible - the idea is to keep the pool open while the expansion is being built and when that is finished, close off the old pool to complete more construction, and then when everything is finished, open the newly renovated building completely (if possible)
• The spray park has been closed until 2019 when the structure is rebuilt (in a different location and using some of the refurbished original structures)
• Discussions regarding the maintenance and upkeep for a sauna versus a steam room
• The need to resurface the whole roof
• Discussions around which water filters to use
• Discussions around the possibility of Camrose County contributing some funding
• Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in April 2018
• We will have a design to share with the public before the end of this year

Our next step is to get detailed pricing on the most recent concept from BR2 (which should be within the next few weeks) and then we will go from there.

City staff met with the architects for renovation design (a company called BR2) to discuss the latest rendering. It was decided that the next step will be to do a mechanical audit to figure out what machinery can be used in the renovated building.

The updated design will also be taken to user groups (the swim clubs), lifeguards and operations staff, maintenance staff, and Council to get their feedback on the practicality of the design.