The alternate approval process (AAP) for the Aquatic Centre upgrade funding begins this Friday, July 5, and will remain open until August 19.
At the council meeting on April 22, council approved funding for several improvements and upgrades to the Prince George Aquatic Centre. Phase one of the upgrades, budgeted at $14.88 million, has already secured funding.
Additional enhancements and repairs, approved on April 22, total $22.15 million. This funding would need to be borrowed using Municipal Finance Authority (MFA) debt funding, which requires approval from electors. This approval will be sought using the alternative approval process.
These enhancements are divided into five phases:
- Phase 1(a) and 1(b): Further improvements in energy efficiency through Phase 1(a) ($1.3 million) and Phase 1(b) ($1.85 million).
- Phase 2: Repairs to structural steel/columns and dive tank sparger system. Replacement of main entry soffits, curtain wall, and air handling units cooling coils. Addition of energy recovery on air handling units. Budget estimate: $7.9 million.
- Phase 3: Replacement of health/life safety items including deck, lobby, and visitor area tiles, handrails, plumbing fixtures, fire alarm system, and sprinkler heads. Budget estimate: $4.5 million.
- Phase 4: Replacement of moveable bulkheads, change room tiles, overhead and underwater light fixtures, and emergency system lighting. Additional work includes interior repainting, hydronic piping reconfiguration, increased access controls, accessibility improvements, and a reconfigured reception desk. Budget estimate: $6.6 million.
The goal of overlapping these phases is to minimize disruption to the public while the work takes place.
What is an AAP and why does the City use this method?
Local governments must obtain approval from eligible electors before proceeding with certain decisions, such as long-term capital borrowing. This approval can be obtained through an alternative approval process (AAP), which directly engages citizens about a proposed bylaw. Residents can utilise the response forms to vote against the proposal. In order for the AAP not to proceed there would need to be 10 per cent or more of the eligible voters to complete a response form (for Prince George this would equate to 5,512 votes).
The AAP process is more cost-effective than a referendum. A referendum on this issue would cost roughly $120,000, whereas an AAP’s costs are absorbed within existing business unit budgets.
At the May 6 council meeting, the Council authorized the use of an alternative approval process to seek electors’ approval regarding “Prince George Aquatic Centre Mechanical and Building Update Phases 1a, 1b, 2, 3, and 4 Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 9468, 2024.”
History of Aquatic Centre Maintenance
The Aquatic Centre was built in 1998, it operates seven days a week with over 240,000 visitors annually.
It receives regular maintenance, including replacing the movable floor, boiler replacement, structural repairs and tile refurbishment in the steam room which all happened in 2018.
“The need for these enhancements has not been due to lack of ongoing maintenance on the facility, it simply comes down to the age of the building and doing the work required to ensure the building will be in great shape long into the future,” director of Civic Facilities, Andy Beesley, said. “This means that it has now gone from the regular maintenance phase and into the ‘infrastructure replacement’ phase which is the normal life cycle for all buildings.”
The work being proposed for the Aquatic Centre is expected to add at least another 25 years to the building’s lifecycle.
Next Steps
If the borrowing is approved, design work on phase one of the upgrades will continue, and construction is expected to commence in mid-2025.
At 8:30 a.m. on Friday, July 5, 2024, elector response forms will be available for download from the City’s website or for pick up at the Service Centre (1st Floor) or Legislative Services Division (5th Floor) at City Hall.
Completed forms can be submitted in person at City Hall, via mail, email (cityclerk@princegeorge.ca), or fax (250-561-0183).
One thought on “Alternate approval process begins for $22 million Aquatic Centre upgrades”
The deadline for submitting the elector response form to the City of Prince George is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 9, 2024, NOT August 19 as stated in the article.