Vancouver park board promises new 'pop-up' pool by spring 2017

The Vancouver Park Board is promising a new "pop-up" outdoor swimming pool by spring 2017 and is looking for community input as to where it should go.

VanSplash, the board's new strategy review and consultation effort, aims to address the city's aging facilities and growing population by introducing more options to improve and increase aquatic infrastructure.

Park board commissioner Sarah Kirby-Yung saysthe city's three existing outdoor pools are all located on or near beaches, making access challenging for many residents who don't live close to the ocean.

"What we're missing is services throughout the city and that family experience in their neighbourhoods," Kirby-Yung said.

She saysthe final location will be determined in part through public consultation, but that the board has identified South and East Vancouver as being "underserved" by current facilities.

Pop-up pools cheaper, less long-lived

Dave Hutch, manager of park planning, saysthe term "pop-up pool" refers to a non-standard pool design that is cheaper and quicker to build than a traditional pool, but generally has a shorter lifespan. New York City's "Floating Lady," a refurbished barge now moored at Barretto Point Park in the Bronx, is one such example.

Hutch sayspop-up pools are usually built for terms of about five years, and generally cost between $1 million and $2 million.

Pop-up pools can range in capacity from a dozen people to several hundred, but Kirby-Yung said the park board wants to build a full-size pool.

"This board is prioritizing options that will provide people with a true swimming experience and the ability not just to cool off but to hopefully to do some laps and have some actual swimming activity," Kirby-Yung said.

More outdoor pools to come

Kirby-Yung saysthe results of theVanSplash strategy review will be presented ina report to city council next summer that will include recommendations for new facilities, as well as upgrades and replacements for aging facilities

She saysshe would like to see as many as five more outdoor pools built in the coming years, but even that would not put Vancouver on par with other comparable Canadian cities.

Two public consultation events are planned for the weekend. Residents can talk with city staff and take a survey at Kits Pool on Saturday, July 23, and at New Brighton Pool on Sunday, July 24.