You might want to add a new bathing suit to your Christmas list this year.
Work to install the water slide at the Ricochet Oil Corp. Aquatic Facility got underway this week. That’s the final step in the construction of the facility.
“The contractor will be turning over the building to the Town by the Christmas break,” says Jennifer Stone, who handles communications for the Town of Drayton Valley.
Once the Town has the keys there will be a period of safety checks and staff training before the pool is open to the public. That’s expected to happen some time early in the new year, although a firm date has not yet been confirmed.
It was originally hoped the aquatic centre could open as early as mid-October. However, some supply chain issues caused minor delays. The water slide was a late addition to the project and also pushed the timeline back.
When the centre does open, those who have been monitoring the project say it will be worth the wait.
“The slide is an attraction that’s for sure,” says Hans van Klaveren, the Town’s General Manager of Community Services and Recreation.
The slide is just one area where the public will see a significant improvement on the old facility. In Park Valley Pool, which opened in the mid-1980s, both lane swimming and the leisure pool were part of the same tank. That meant that water temperatures were often too cold for young families using the leisure pool, and too warm for lane swimmers. In the new aquatic centre the lap pool and leisure pool are completely separate, which will allow for better temperature control for all users. The aquatic centre also has a prominent lazy river with multiple spray features, a steam room and larger hot tub than Park Valley Pool. Perhaps most significantly, the lap pool is almost twice the size of the one at the old facility.
“We now have eight lanes. That’s going to make it the Mecca for competitions in this rural area,” says Annette Driessen, who is overseeing the project on behalf of the Town. “And you don’t have to close down lane swimming because we have an aquacise class because now we have the room for both.”
Van Klaveren says that steps have been taken throughout the design process to keep operating costs as low as possible. Sight lines were kept clear to minimize the number of lifeguards needed for the aquatic centre to operate safely. Other steps taken include a building envelope that has been upgraded with a curtain wall system. All windows have double pane glazing, and all basins, showers, water closets, sinks, and toilets will utilize low flow technology. Continuous gutters and surge tanks will alleviate water waste due to splash out. On the roof are more than 600 solar panels capable of generating 300 kw at peak times. Driessen said that since they were installed those panels have generated power which has been sold to the grid. That power was also used by the contractors working on the building’s interior over the past several months.
Existing staff from Park Valley Pool will transfer to the new facility once it opens. The Town is also hiring additional personnel needed to operate the larger building.
As it nears completion the aquatic centre is the culmination of a process that dates back nearly 15 years. The facility has a price tag of $21.9 million and is expected to come in on budget. Driessen says in large part that’s due to the integrated project delivery approach, which included assurances on a number of costs before construction got underway.
The facility is funded by $5 million each from the Town and Brazeau County and a smaller amount from Parkland County along with a $7.5 million grant from the federal government. The remainder is to come in the form of public and corporate donations and sponsorships.
“The fundraising committee has been very active. They’ve raised more than $2 million and money is still coming in,” says Driessen.
Just this week council approved two additional corporate sponsorships.
While work on the building is complete the bulk of the outdoor landscaping work will be carried out next spring and summer. Once the new facility is up and running, van Klaveren says the plan is to put the old Park Valley Pool into hibernation until council determines what to do with the building.
