Burnaby's Central Park Pool to get a new all-weather cover

Residents will soon be more easily able to access one of Burnaby’s public pools year-round—although it might still be a chilly affair.

Members of the city’s financial management committee are recommending that their fellow city councillors direct staff to start work on building a permanent cover for the outdoor pool at Central Park by next winter.

It’s one of the objectives in Burnaby’s 2022 report on short and long-term outdoor aquatic facility planning, which recommended that the city look at tools to extend the usage of outdoor pools beyond the regular summer season.

A report to the committee earlier this month notes that the Central Park pool, built in 1962, is at or near the end of its useful life and its tank and mechanical system will require upgrades in the next decade. The change rooms and staff rooms are not set up for winter weather, and the facility doesn’t meet current accessibility standards either.

But its size makes it a popular choice for Burnaby swimmers nevertheless.

“It is the only City of Burnaby outdoor pool that can host large competitions and it has frequently hosted the BC Summer Swimming Championships. It has a custom metal bulkhead that is placed in the center of the pool for 25-metre swim competitions,” the report reads.

The report recommends that council pick the third of four options presented for the cover.

That option, which will take about eight months to complete and comes with a price tag of $3-4 million, is described as a “tensioned membrane modular” or “sprung structure” made with aluminum and high-tension fabric.

It’s expected to have a 50-year lifespan, and the report notes that there will be disruption to services for about two to three months as it’s being built.

While rollup doors and translucent panels can be incorporated into the structure to preserve natural light, the report acknowledges all four options for the cover would impact the natural light and surroundings of the pool—situated in a clearing surrounded by towering coniferous trees.

They also won’t bring about any miracles in keeping the pool warm through the winter.

“The covers described below provide protection from sun and rain but do not allow the pool area to be heated. In colder weather months, this is a barrier for most aquatic users,” the report reads.

“Without heat in the pool area, it is unlikely that the City would run swim lessons, aquafit or drop-in programs until the weather warms. It is expected that swim clubs and dedicated lane swimmers would continue to use the covered facility throughout most of the winter.”

The move comes after Mayor Mike Hurley referred to a temporary structure put up at Kensington Park Outdoor Pool as “a complete embarrassment” last December, lambasting the parks department for the “makeshift” deck cover.

“I don’t know who approved that, or whose idea it was, but it certainly didn’t come from council. And Kensington never was a priority from council; it was always Central Park,” Hurley said at a financial management committee meeting in December.

As the Burnaby Now reported, the mayor was also frustrated in light of the closure of C.G. Brown Memorial Pool, which further restricted swimming spaces in the city.

“My frustration with this is at such at level that I can’t even explain it, because these reports should have been brought back to us two years ago,” Hurley said.

“There should have been some kind of replacement ready for when C.G. Brown came down. That didn’t happen, so now we need to move forward.”