Work is underway on the $8.1-million outdoor pool at Queens Place Emera Centre. (Rick Conrad)

The dream of an indoor pool for Queens County was likely sunk on Monday night.

Two weeks ago, Region of Queens councillors asked CAO Cody Joudry to investigate the feasibility of turning the outdoor pool now under construction at Queens Place Emera Centre into an indoor facility.

At their meeting on Monday night, councillors heard that it’s not so straightforward, or cheap.

Joudry said the $8.1-million outdoor project would likely balloon to at least $30 million if councillors decided to change it. He said the cost to taxpayers of the current project is less than one cent on $100 of assessment over 20 years. For an outdoor pool, that could go up to five cents.

“Council needs to either pick an indoor pool or an outdoor pool, but you can’t really convert an outdoor to an indoor pool,” he told councillors.

The region secured $3 million from an anonymous donor and $2.2 million from the province for the current project. It’s picking up the remaining $2.9-million tab.

Joudry said if the region changes or stops the project now, it could be on the hook for “sunk costs” of up to $2 million — in penalties or work that’s already done. And the municipality may also have to look for new funding, which would further delay the project.

The region would also have to come up with a whole new design.

Adam Grant, the region’s director of engineering and public works, said the current design is not easily adapted. He said some of the work already done could be salvaged, but much of it would have to be abandoned.

“When you start adding heating systems and take a facility that was deisgned to operate three months of the year conducive to the climate and turn it on its flip side and tell it it’s got to operate nine more months of the year, heating, air conditioning, ventilation, as well as condensation control. You start adding structural steel known to support a roof or with roof loads or snow loads. It’s not a simple matter of just putting a roof over it.”

District 3 Coun. Courtney Wentzell said he wants the region to consult with community members. He said it was a big issue during the recent election campaign, and most people who were in favour of a pool wanted an indoor one.

Mayor Scott Christian campaigned on getting an indoor pool. But on Monday, he told QCCR that changing it up would be a big burden to taxpayers.

“The total bill for the residents is about 3 million bucks with that project completion. 
And so incurring $2 million in sunk costs without any assurances about the extent to which we’ll actually be able to repurpose any of what has already been done, I think we can’t go there right now.”

Christian said he’d like to get the Queens Community Aquatic Society involved again and re-form the region’s pool committee.

Councillors decided to stick with the status quo and allow the outdoor pool project to continue. The heated, 25-metre pool is expected to open by 2026.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to the audio version of this story below

Construction has begun on the $8-million outdoor pool at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

Region of Queens councillors want to test the waters on the idea of switching lanes and building an indoor pool after all.

Construction on the $8.08-million heated outdoor pool next to Queens Place Emera Centre has already begun. But councillors said Tuesday they heard from many residents during the recent election campaign who want an indoor facility.

Coun. Courtney Wentzell said many of his constituents prefer an indoor pool, while some were against a new pool altogether.

“So when we’re voting on this and we’re thinking about this, we need to think about our constituents and what we heard in each district,” he told council. “And I will say from my experience and my constituents, they definitely prefer an indoor pool.”

Coun. Jack Fancy said he also heard from many people on both ends of the pool debate. He added that council’s initial pool discussions were always geared toward building an indoor pool.

Council voted in June 2023 to go with the less expensive outdoor option — a heated, 25-metre, six-lane pool. But many residents have long advocated for an indoor pool that can be used year-round.

“As Coun. Wentzell has said, it was a hot topic. Every house asked me,” Fancy said. “I think most people didn’t even realize that we were getting donations or monies from the government.”

Fancy said voters were also concerned about how spending more money on a pool would affect the region’s tax rate.

The region secured $3 million from an anonymous private donor and $2.2 million from the province. The region is picking up the rest of the tab.

Councillors on Tuesday asked the region’s CAO to prepare a report on how feasible it would be to change the current project so that Queens has a year-round pool.

Mayor Scott Christian campaigned in favour of an indoor pool. He said regardless of what councillors find out, it won’t stop the current project.

“This motion wouldn’t in any way impact currently what’s taking place with the preparation of the site,” Christian said.

“It also would not reverse course in terms of no pool at all. That’s not what’s on the table. It’s very much about providing the assembled council with all of the information required to understand what would be required and what the foreseeable impacts would be of entertaining and exploring and shifting the construction project to an indoor pool.”

Coun. Vicki Amirault said it’s important for councillors to understand the conditions under which the region secured funding for the indoor pool and how a change might affect that.

CAO Cody Joudry said he hopes to report back to council at their next meeting on Nov. 25. He said that report may not be made available to the public, if it includes information about contracts or negotiations.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to the audio version of this story below