In the first Victoria council meeting of the year, the mayor outlined some of the items that will be coming up for discussion in 2024, including the Crystal Pool decision that has spanned three different councils.
Mayor Marianne Alto said the upcoming year has a number of “very challenging” topics on the docket, “all of which are very exciting.”
One of those topics is “hopefully, hopefully, hopefully get started on our plans for Crystal Pool,” Alto said in her opening remarks to the Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday.
The Crystal Pool replacement project started in 2016, with an original goal of having a new pool open in 2020.
READ MORE FROM 2017: Victoria awards contract for Crystal Pool replacement project
Through the years, the project has been stalled a number of times and has been discussed by three different councils.
One of the main sticking points has been whether the pool should be built on the existing location, or built elsewhere to allow the current pool to stay open while construction is underway.
READ MORE FROM 2018: City of Victoria looking to strike a balance with Crystal Pool redevelopment
The tenure of the previous council passed without making a final decision on the replacement project.
Then in the early days of the current council, they got the ball re-rolling by proposing a referendum to hear from residents if they are willing to have the city borrow money to fund the replacement, where they would like the new pool to be.
READ MORE FROM 2023: Motion to restart work on Crystal Pool replacement unanimously passes first step
And now, from Alto’s remarks, it seems the matter may be coming back before council in the coming months.
In addition to Crystal Pool, the Official Community Plan review, 2024 budget, refreshing public spaces like Centennial Square and Royal Athletic Park and a new vision for community safety and wellbeing were also mentioned as items coming back before council in the coming months and year.
Laura Brougham
