Courtney Taylor
Cariboo Advisor
With more than one million dollars yet to be paid by taxpayers for previous renovations to the Sam Ketchum Pool at Cariboo Memorial Complex, this summer saw more money being poured into the pool that is apparently past its prime.
The City lost close to $100,00 this summer in revenue as well as a month of providing a pool service due to a leak, which is looking now to be merely a bandaid solution to a much bigger problem.
At the Joint Committee meeting last week between the City and Regional District, City Planning Manager Geoff Paynton presented the report on the costs lost this summer, as well as three options for the future of the pool.
According to Paynton, the City is kind of in a Catch 22; they can leave the problem and hope for the best, or fix part of the problem and hope the rest holds.
The two problems the pool has are old pipes that are leaking, and the main pool tank and spider cracks causing leaks. The main pool tank could be fixed for $300,000- $400,000, but there is nothing they can do about the pipes without destroying the pool.
The third option is to start from scratch, and begin plans for a new complex.
At the Joint meeting last week, it definitely felt like any more money spent on the pool would be a waste, and that it is now time to start talking about something new.
“I think it is very clear that we have to start planning for the future,” said Mayor Cook.
“We need to get the community involved right from the beginning. We need to prioritize our recreation needs and explore options for going after government funding,” she said.
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