Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Crystal Pool - what has the council been doing?

Here is a quote from the minutes of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Advisory Committee from November 1st 2004
The facility is 33 years old, and is near the end of its life. There are accessibility issues, and the facility does not meet current codes. The program needs of today and tomorrow are not being met, the Crystal Pool is being used as a recreation centre, not only as a pool, programs have to be held at other venues due to lack of room. A discussion ensued in regards to the Crystal Pool, replacement and future services.
So why has the council done nothing to consult with the community and plan for the future of the pool?

From the Times Colonist of February 16th 2005
The city has budgeted $315,000 this year to replace tile, update pool systems and mechanical equipment replacement at the Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre. However, this building faces either demolition or substantial upgrading within the next five years.
So the City has known for many years now that they need to do something about the Crystal Pool but have not started even the most basic conversation with the citizens about the pool.

  • Why have they done nothing?
  • Do they not want to get input from the public?
  • Is there is plan to just close the pool down?
  • Did someone at City Hall simply forget to deal with the issue?

What can someone say about a council that knows about a huge infrastructure cost for years and then makes the deliberate choice to do nothing about it?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I don't know if this is a sign of neglect on the part of council, or an example of the budgetary challenges that the City of Victoria faces. The city doesn't appear to have the money to maintain the current infrastructure.