Demolition of the Four Seasons Leisure Pool downtown has begun.
On-site activities will occur from 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and extend to mid-October. Businesses and residents in the area can expect some disruptions and disturbances, which the city will labour to reduce by:
- Using water to minimize dust dispersal.
- Routing dump trucks through Canada Games Way and 7th Avenue to access the demo site.
- Keeping the Dominion Street transit stop open.
- Posting detour routes on sidewalks if closures occur.
Businesses and residents located will also receive a formal notice of the demolition work by mail from the City of Prince George.
Parking lot closure
The Four Seasons Leisure Pool parking lot – which it shares with the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre – will close for the demolition’s duration. Alternative downtown on-street and off-street parking options are available.
Centennial Mosaic
The Centennial Mosaic at Community Foundation Park will also face demolition alongside the main pool building. City Council authorized the mosaic’s removal at its October 18, 2021, meeting. Some problems that prevented the installation from being preserved by means of physical relocation include its sheer size and weight (120 tonnes), age, and structural form.
Instead, the City of Prince George took high-resolution photographs of the mosaic for future digital preservation in community archives.
About the Four Seasons Leisure Pool
The Four Seasons Leisure Pool closed its doors during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and remained permanently shuttered as a cost-saving measure. Swimming lessons, a staple at the pool, moved to the Prince George Aquatic Centre but will return to the new downtown Canfor Leisure Pool when it opens later this year.
The old pool was the subject of a city-wide referendum in 2017 when residents voted in favour of its replacement. The 2016 Aquatic Needs Assessment commissioned by the City found the pool was nearing the end of its service life, lacked up-to-date accessibility features, and had areas that did not meet modern safety standards.