North Kamloops aquatics facilities to be discussed at next council meeting

KAMLOOPS – The future of the city's three indoor pools in north Kamloops will be discussed at city council next week.

Along with discussions about the three pools, recreation director Byron McCorkell says council will be discussing whether or not to hire a consultant to look at building a new leisure pool facility on McArthur Island at their meeting on Tuesday, April 5.

The discussion follows four public consultation meetings with community members in March. People at the meeting spoke to council about what they believe the Westsyde, Brocklehurst and North Shore neighbourhoods need in terms of aquatic facilities, with many supporting the current pools. McCorkell says around 600 people attended the meetings.

Currently the Westsyde and McDonald Park pools are closed until repairs can be made, and the Brocklehurst Park pool will need repairs soon. The Westsyde pool will need a minimum of $3 million worth of repairs.

In January, city staff recommended councillors look at broader options for north Kamloops recreational facilities when cost estimates for Westsyde pool were higher than expected.

Before committing to a consultant, council decided to take the issue to the public. The public consultations also took into account the recent closure of the privately owned Ice Box arena.

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