Doubt has been cast on the future of Onaping Pool, with a municipal report tabled this week noting there is “no rationale” for continued investment in the aquatics facility.
“It is not a pool that would be built today,” according to the city’s Aquatic Service and Facility Review.
There are four reports associated with the review: The Aquatic Service and Facility Review Final Report, as well as three attachments: Attachment 1 - Phase 2 Assessments and Strategy Development Report; Attachment 2 - Current State Report, and; Attachment 3 - What We Heard Report.
“This pool may be maintained with minimal investment for the time being, but requires a firm decision surrounding its future once it reaches the end of its functional life.”
The average expected useful life of a new publicly owned 25-metre pool is 46 years, and the 15-metre-long Onaping Pool is 57 years old. It’s in “fair” condition and slated to slip to “poor” by 2030 at its current levels of underfunding.
Built in 1967 by Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd., Onaping Pool is Greater Sudbury’s oldest aquatics facility. It’s also the smallest and least-used, at a pool size of 83 square metres and 7,500 visits last year.
The city’s Aquatic Service and Facility Review is a multi-year phased strategy “intended to guide the actions, responsibilities and budget decisions of the city regarding aquatic infrastructure and improvements,” according to a report tabled for next week’s city council meeting.
During the Oct. 8 meeting, it’s anticipated that city council members will vote on whether they will adopt the review “as the foundation for guiding future decisions related to aquatic infrastructure, programs and operations.”
The review calls for the city to reduce its indoor pool supply to a minimum of five publicly accessible indoor pool locations by 2051, including both city and non-municipal pools.
The city has five municipal pools, including R.G. Dow Pool, Onaping Pool, Nickel District Pool, Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre Pool and the Gatchell Pool. Other publicly accessible pools include the YMCA pool and the currently closed Laurentian University pool.
The city’s seven indoor pools are:
- Gatchell: 25 m x 15 m, 36,100 visits in 2023, built in 1975 and renovated in 1983
- Howard Armstrong: 25 m x 11.6 m, 54,500 visits, built in 1983
- Nickel District: 25 m x 10 m, 36,000 visits, built in 1973
- Onaping: 15 m x 5.5 m, 7,500 visits, built in 1967
- R.G. Dow: 25 m x 10 m, 36,400 visits, built in 1971
- Sudbury YMCA lane and leisure tank, approximately 86,000 visits, built in 2000
- Laurentian University: 50 m x 18 m, closed in 2023, built in 1972
The estimated deferred and current investment requirement for the city’s five pools and associated buildings is $10.1 million, and the estimated lifecycle costs for the next 10 years is approximately $24.5 million.
With 170,500 swims per year across the city’s five pools, they’re operating at approximately 56 per cent of their theoretical capacity, which is 28 per cent of their maximum design capacity, “indicating that there is capacity for additional usage within the City’s pool supply.”
The report also calls for a feasibility study to look into the development of two new or expanded aquatic centres over time to replace up to four existing city pools, and that the proposal to build a therapeutic/leisure pool in Azilda should be evaluated as part of these studies.
Whichever pools are decommissioned should remain community assets “so that these sites can continue to serve the public in new ways,” according to the review.
The Kalmo Beach 10-year Plan should be implemented, public outdoor swimming opportunities should be enhanced in the Lively/Walden area and options should be explored to enhance the range of services at certain beach locations, such as offering water sports equipment rentals at Moonlight Beach.
Although the current number of splash pads should be maintained at 17, a new installation may be considered in Val Caron in the long-term, ‘if supported by public demand at the time of a park redevelopment project.”
Splash pads should be upgraded and enhanced, according to the review, including those at such locations as the Howard Armstrong Community Centre, Memorial Park and Coté Park.
In the event city council approves adopting the Aquatic Service and Facility Review, it’s to be implemented in a phased approach, according to a report by city Leisure Services director Jeff Pafford.
“Full implementation will require the use of a variety of municipal funding sources, grants,
fundraising, and assistance from partners and the community,” he wrote, noting that the review is intended to guide future city council decisions.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.