The city came under fire when it responded to the question of why the drawing of the pool lacked facilities.

Image Credit: City of Vernon

Vernon's proposed Active Living Centre won't look like Kelowna's popular family water park, the H20 Adventure and Fitness Centre, because that's not what Vernon residents asked for.

According to City of Vernon's recreation services director Doug Ross, the number one request taken from the public consultation wasn't an H20 type facility.

"We did extensive public engagement and... the feedback that we got back was the number one thing was a 50-metre pool and then the second thing was a secondary warmer pool and the third thing was a leisure pool," Ross told iNFOnews.ca. "What came out of the feasibility study was that we needed a pool that would serve the everyday needs of the community and not go for something like a wave pool that's more of a tourist attraction."

On Oct. 15, Vernon residents will go to the polls to elect a mayor and council, school board trustees and vote on whether the borrow $121 million to build the new Active Living Centre.

It's a lot to ask the population of Vernon to approve spending that kind of money on a new recreation centre and it doesn't make it any easier when the conceptual drawings of the pool aspect of the new Active Living Centre are rather lackluster.

The conceptual drawings of the leisure pool show one small kid's slide and not much else and don't suggest a $121-million facility.

A conceptual design drawing of the 50-metre pool with two movable bulkheads.

Image Credit: City of Vernon

The City even had to release a statement to clarify why the drawing didn't show slides and other fun attractions. The answer didn't go down well.

The media release was met with an array of criticism last week when the city asked the question: Why don't the conceptual drawings show many fixed aquatic play features?

"The proposed aquatics facility does not include permanent fixed amenities such as a wave pool or wave rider, which tend to lose public appeal after time and can be expensive to maintain," the City responded to its own question.

The release did state that features such as slides, interactive sprays, bubblers, a rock-climbing wall, water walking mat and rope swing could be used on a rotational basis.

The City was accused of being "tone deaf" in its response, and by Vernon standards, it created a social media firestorm.

"Families having been begging for something like H20," said one commentator. "What a wasted opportunity to create a family fun centre," said another. "If we are going to do this, let's do it right," was another response.

The City also stated the drawings are "conceptual" and not a clear indication of what will be built.

So if the drawings aren't a true reflection of what will be built, what will be included in the new Active Living Centre?

If the referendum passes, the centre will have a 50-metre pool with bulkheads, allowing it to be split into three separate pools.

Ross said the ability to divide the pool allows it to be used for a multitude of different users. Some will be able to swim laps in one pool while others take an aquatic aerobics class in the other.

During public swim time, at the press of a button, a Ninjacross course can be lowered from the ceiling giving kids a climbing obstacle course. A floating Wibit (a giant inflatable) can also be put in the pool. A "sonic wave ball" could also be added which turns a regular pool into a wave pool.

"We fully expect that there'll be things like bubblers and slides and spray features, but those things will be determined during the final design," Ross said.

The new leisure pool will be 5,700 square feet, which is almost twice the size of the current one. The leisure pool will also accommodate three 25-metre lanes for swimming laps in its warmer water.

There will also be a lazy river although Ross admits "it's not a very big one."

There will also be two hot tubs, one for families, and one for adults, and a sauna and a steam room. There will also be much larger change room facilities.

The centre will also have a walking and running track which will be 150 metres in length and go around the mezzanine level of the double gymnasium.

The plan proposes an 80-station fitness centre and multi-purpose rooms that can be used for anything from a yoga class to a babysitting course.

However, there won't be a permanent wave pool or an indoor splash park.

"We're looking for things that have more flexibility, we're designing this facility for 50 years or more, things like wave riders or wave pools are expensive to maintain and trends do change in aquatics, so what we don't want is something that's going to be permanent and be there for 50 years when the trends in aquatics could change," Ross said.

The ability to divide the pool should create space to have more swimming lessons, and hopefully get the more than 600 people currently on waiting lists into lessons.

The pool will also be used for swim meets, but Ross estimates it will only be used as a 50 meter competitive pool once a year and as a 25 meter competitive pool twice a year.

A conceptual design drawing of the 50 metre pool.

Image Credit: City of Vernon

Steph French lives in the Alexis Park neighbourhood near the proposed Active Living Centre and said she took part in the public consultation for the centre. She's skeptical of the proposed design.

"I don't know if it's enough to actually make the kids want to go," French said. "I feel like it's just going to be another Vernon Rec Centre and if that's the case I'm not going to go there.

"I don't want we already have."

Like many others, French said her kids love the lazy river and splash park at Kelowna's H20.

"They have no use for a 50-metre pool... they want the warm pool and they want the slides," she said. "I don't feel like what they are offering... is enough."

French says she does really want the Active Living Centre but wants a lot of amenities for the $121-million price tag.

Lifelong Vernon resident Kevin Hill shared the sentiment.

Hill said he expected something very extravagant for $121 million and he's not thrilled with the design.

"Vernon can do way better than that, it's a booming town," he said.

Brittney Yawney lives in Lumby and has two young children. While she won't be able to vote in the referendum, she still has an active interest in the facility.

"There are so many young families in Vernon that the pool (the City) is thinking of is geared towards adults and not geared for families," she said. 

While the City has been clear the design is just preliminary, the design doesn’t allow a huge amount of wiggle room.

Ross said waterslides can certainly be added but a permanent wave pool would be too far from the preliminary design.

Several lanes of warmer will also be available for lap swimming.

Image Credit: City of Vernon

"No one's getting H20," Vernon councillor Kari Gares told iNFOnews.ca. "The biggest thing that the public was asking for was a 50-metre pool. Not everybody does those public engagements, which is unfortunate."

Coun. Gares said she would have "loved" to have seen an H20 style centre but that didn't match what came back during the public engagement process.

She also stressed the Active Living Centre is more than just a pool, and has many other features.

She does accept that the $121 million price tag is a big ask.

It's well known the current pool is now 50 years old and on its last legs. A recent routine fall maintenance closure unearthed more issues and kept it closed for longer than was intended.

Surprisingly, while the City says a 50 meter pool was top of people’s wants, Ross said Vernon has just over 200 competitive swimmers including adults and youths.

Statistics Canada shows Vernon has 8,000 people under age 19.

It's also hard to grapple with the $121 million price tag, especially when Kelowna build H20 in 2008 for $46 million, which is $60 million in today's dollars.

While the proposed Active Living Centre has been in the cards for several years it didn't get off to a good start when in April the District of Coldstream along with Regional District of North Okanagan areas B and C pulled out.

Coldstream said at the time that the $121 million project was too risky in the current volatile market, although accepted that there was a legitimate need in the community.

Vernon politicians said they were baffled by the decision and that Coldstream and the regional directors should let their constituents decide in the referendum.

The City also hasn't been as clear as it could have been on the cost to taxpayers.

While the tax increases will be gradual and start in 2024, by 2027 the average Vernon taxpayer will see $292 added to their tax bill – a 17 per cent increase compared to 2022.

Vernon realtor John Deak doesn't have children and said he probably won't use the facility very much at all.

However, he said he's still going to vote for it.

"I know the community needs it, and it's something we need to grow as a community," he said. "We need facilities, and people are going to have to pay for stuff."

Whether the public agrees with Deak's sentiment will be found out after the referendum Oct. 15.

For more information on the Active Living Centre go here.

— This story was corrected 10:25 a.m. Monday Oct. 3, 2022, to state the walking and running track will be 150 metres in length, not one kilometre.

– This story was corrected at 12 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, to correct the spelling of Brittney Yawney's name.

A conceptual design drawing of the walking and running track.

Image Credit: City of Vernon

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