Bidding opens for construction of new Yellowknife pool

Yellowknife is getting closer to having a new pool facility and it might even havean amusement park-style water slide and hot tub.

In a media statement, the city saidit issued a request for proposalfor the construction of theaquatic centre last Thursday to three companies that were pre-qualified to bid on the project.

Those companies, all located in Yellowknife or Edmonton,areBird Construction Group, Clark Buildersand PCL Construction Management Inc. The bid process ends Sept. 2.

The city has been looking to replace the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool which was constructed circa 1987 and is reaching the end of its "useful life" since November 2016.

Based on consultations with user groups, stakeholders and the public back in 2018 and 2020, the city is requiring the proposed designto incorporatea 25-metre, eight-lane lap pool and one-metre and three-metre springboards. Designs are also required to have a leisure pool,a beach entry shallow area, a lazy river, "play features" and a large, "amusement park-style" water slide.

These are some of the other features that are to be included in the design:

• Hot tub.
• Steam room.
• Splash pad.
• Therapy pool.
• Spectator viewing area.
• Canteen area.
• Office/administrative space.

The proposed aquatic centre is scheduled to be completed by September 2024. The start of construction will depend on the schedules proposed by the successful contractor, the city said.

Tax increase to come

Taylor Architecture Group (TAG) and aquatic design specialists MJMA developed a concept design report, whichpegs the cost to build the space at between $52.4 and $63.7 million and puts the annual operating cost at between $2.3 and $2.7 million.

The city said the construction cost could increase, but it'll be finalized in the design phase and it'll have to be approved by the city and members of the public before construction can start.

There willlikelybe a tax increase of 2.7 per cent in 2024tooffset the construction and annual operation and maintenance costs, the city said.

A combination of federal and territorial sources will be used to pay for the building, the city said, and it will also borrow a "small proportion" of money from the municipality.

Residents will also have a chance to vote in a referendum in November on whether to approve borrowing municipal money.