An aquatic strategy endorsed last year by Coquitlam council and costing taxpayers $21,500 will now have its "assumptions tested," a senior city manager said.
The price tag for the revision? Up to $40,000.
Last week, city council approved the budget to update the 15-year aquatic strategy, which called for Rochester Pool to be permanently closed and the Blue Mountain spray park to be rebuilt on the site of the wading pool, among other things.
But given the public reaction surrounding those two items alone, city staff told council at its Sept. 15 meeting they wanted to have a second look at the policy to see if it meets future needs.
The move comes as the city drafts a new master parks and recreation plan this fall and after council this summer was presented with a 531-name petition from Maillardville residents wanting an outdoor pool in the area. The loss of Rochester Pool, the petitioners argued, means families have to travel some distance to get to Spani Pool, an outdoor tank, or the indoor pool at Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
Another reason for the strategy revision is that the city is in talks with the YMCA for a new community centre and 25 m indoor pool in Burquitlam, a neighbourhood in transition with the coming of the Evergreen Line (a YMCA spokesperson said no deal has been finalized).
"What we don't want to do is continue with the study as is," said Raul Allueva, Coquitlam's acting general manager of parks and rec. "We're going to test the assumptions of the study just to make sure it was hitting the mark."
Allueva said he hopes the consultant's revision will come in under $30,000. The final report is due before council in January.
According to the current aquatic strategy, which looks at existing and future infrastructure, Coquitlam indoor and outdoor pools saw 916,057 visits in 2011 - 2,462 at the Blue Mountain wading pool that year and another 3,596 at Rochester, which has since been decommissioned and filled with sand.
Allueva said while outdoor pools tend to be expensive to run, given that they operate only in the summer months, "our council and community seem to be thinking that some of the existing outdoor facilities are what this community might want and we just don't want to sweep that under the rug."
Other Coquitlam news:
MAKE YOUR BUDGET
Coquitlam homeowners can use a new online tool to help set next year's municipal budget - or at least their version of it.
The Citizen Budget Planning Tool (coquitlam.ca/budget) is available until Oct. 15 and will help city staff and council prioritize programs and services.
It is also designed to help homeowners understand how tax dollars are spent.
The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and can be done on a computer or mobile device. The technology, designed by the non-profit group OpenNorth, is being used in Langley Township, Edmonton, Yellowknife, Toronto and Montreal.
It was implemented in Coquitlam as turnout to budget town hall meetings is typically low.
