Plans for an outdoor pool at Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant Park continue to stir controversy 13 years after it was scrapped.
People with fond memories of the pool say they want it back, citing the need for swimming lessons and the lack of such facilities in Vancouver.
In 2009, after operating for more than 40 years, the pool was closed and filled in to make way for an expanded playground, basketball court, skate park, community garden and parking lot.
In late June, the Vancouver Park Board voted to reallocate $11.5 million of the $539 million budget in the 2023-2026 Capital Plan — the city’s blueprint for infrastructure and amenity investments — to the planning and construction of a new outdoor pool in Mount Pleasant Park and asked the city council to agree to fund the remaining costs.
The next day, the council voted against any spending on the project.
“I was quite surprised,” said Park Board Commissioner John Cooper. “I don’t know the reason for that because some of the council members supported it before.”
The board has passed several resolutions over the past decade to build a new pool, but the project never got off the ground, Marjorie Duda, chair of the Mount Pleasant Community Center’s pool committee, told CBC’s On the Coast.
The proposal for the new outdoor pool at Mount Pleasant Park. (Vancouver Parks and Recreation Board/ Submitted)
There are five outdoor pools in Vancouver: Kitsilano Pool, Second Beach Pool in Stanley Park, New Brighton Pool in the Hastings-Sunrise neighborhood, Maple Grove Pool in Kerrisdale and Hillcrest Aquatic Center pool near Queen Elizabeth Park.
Duda said more outdoor pools are needed.
“Surrey, British Columbia, has eight [outdoor] pools,” she said.
“Having an outdoor pool in a very popular public park, in a neighborhood that’s densely populated and close to all kinds of transportation is a great idea,” she said.
The closure of Kitsilano Pool in January 2022, when a wind storm caused extensive damage to the facility, increased pressure on outdoor pool space. To compensate for the closings, the park board extended hours and added lifeguards at Second Beach and New Brighton pools.
The price could reach 20 million dollars
Rebuilding the Mount Pleasant pool is estimated to cost between $12 million and $15 million, according to Coupar, although the total cost could be as high as $20 million.
“I’ve heard from the community all over the city that they really miss the outdoor pools,” Cupar told CBC News.
“It was promised to come back and it just never came back. Other budget priorities got in the way.”
Count. Sarah Kirby Jung says the council voted 10-1 against funding the Mount Pleasant pool project after residents raised concerns about keeping the green space.
“We’re listening as the city gets denser … how important that green space is to livability. It’s not just a large area there. We heard that the majority of the community really wanted to keep it as park access,” she said.
The opening ceremony for the Mount Pleasant Pool in 1967. The pool had been in operation for 42 years. (CBC)
A divided community
Proposals to rebuild the pool have divided residents.
“It’s important for kids to learn to swim when you’re in a coastal community. Most of us learned to swim in these pools as children, myself included,” said Kupar.
Coupar, who is running for mayor this fall, said a majority of park board commissioners were adamant about building an outdoor pool at Mount Pleasant Park and would seek federal or provincial funding to help make the project happen.
“Generally, when we have shovel plans ready and there’s federal or provincial money available, we’ll be able to apply for them under various programs,” he said.
Mount Pleasant Pool was demolished in 2009 and the site is now home to a park that includes a playground, basketball court, skate park and community garden. (CBC)
But an online petition that has gathered hundreds of signatures claims the park is not the right place for a pool.
“We have a small house, so we don’t have room in the yard, so we use the park on the weekends,” said Mount Pleasant resident Jolene Timko.
“We know that the people who sign the petition really use the space. They value it so much and don’t want to see it replaced with a pool.”
Mount Pleasant resident Jolene Timko says much of the park’s green space will be lost if an outdoor pool is built. (CBC)
Timko said the city needs to recognize “the importance of green space” amid increasing densification.
“It’s not really a solution to climate change,” Timko said. “You’re replacing trees that are sequestering carbon with something like concrete.”
Coupar said previous consultations and design plans for the pool took into account green space in the park.
“There is a lot of green space in this park and I am committed to building this pool,” he said.
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