MOOSE JAW — The Natatorium’s fate has beend, and a recent city council decision will keep that future murky.
During council’s 2025 budget meeting on Jan. 15, city administration provided an update about the at the existing site.
Administration has been presenting reports to council about the outdoor pool’s replacement since 2021.
City hall updated the replacement plan because the current construction costs have been escalating, the report said. To potentially reduce the capital construction costs, administration — similar to the 2024 budget discussions — presented additional location options for consideration.
Option 1 was to allocate $50,000 to conduct a feasibility study about retaining the Nat’s front façade and main heritage elements and construct the new outdoor pool’s changeroom building on that historic building’s footprint.
If the study proved feasible, administration would conduct further analysis to determine the budgetary implications of including the Natatorium’s restoration with the outdoor pool replacement project.
Option 2 was to allocate $35,000 to re-design the changeroom building for construction on the Natatorium site and retain the water park’s planned design while demolishing the Nat for $600,000 to $900,000.
Option 3 was to allocate $40,000 to conduct a feasibility study about moving the outdoor aquatic park near the Kinsmen Sportsplex, which could save $4 million to $6 million in construction costs.
If the study proved feasible, administration would allocate another $50,000 to $75,000 for detailed design plans for aquatic amenities and mechanical systems.
but voted unanimously to receive and file the report, punting the issue into the future — again.
Competing priorities
Coun. Jamey Logan liked option 3, but only if the city reused the outdoor pool for another purpose. If council chose that option, administration would have to create new site drawings and those would not be considered shovel-ready for grant funding purposes.
Council would still be responsible for the Natatorium even if it chose option 3, while this group or the next would have to “make a hard decision” about what to do with it since demolition costs grew more expensive, said Coun. Dawn Luhning.
“While it looks on paper to be cheaper (to build near the Sportsplex), it probably isn’t. We have lots of decisions to make as to how we’re going to handle the outdoor pool,” she added.
The Natatorium is “a classic Moose Jaw facility in the downtown core,” but council must also fund the $66-million Crescent View Lift Station project and $22-million Thunderbird Viaduct/Fourth Avenue bridge, said Coun. Patrick Boyle.
He thought they should wait for new federal funding streams to become available — which would likely happen with a new government.
Finding a new location
Derek Blais, director of community services, said
administration reviewed where the outdoor pool could go if it were built near the Kinsmen Sportsplex, and the pool could fit north, south or east. Furthermore, a contractor that builds pools has visited the Sportsplex and determined there is extra room in the mechanical room to install equipment for the outdoor pool.
“Both those factors being considered led us to (think) this could … be a viable option,” he added.
Coun. Carla Delaurier asked whether the current outdoor pool — once closed — could be reused for activities like a skateboard park. She said she had seen other communities repurpose their former outdoor pools into some “pretty amazing parks.”
Blais replied that his department hadn’t explored that option — “It is an excellent idea” — but could see that potential.
One of the best pools
Boyle asked whether it was possible to extend the Kinsmen pool’s swimming lanes to 50 metres from 25 metres for competitions since the proposed outdoor venue would be smaller. Blais replied it was not something he would recommend since a community the size of Moose Jaw didn’t need such a venue when Saskatoon and Regina already had them.
Coun. Heather Eby pointed out that the
“So that, to me, says it’s not really worth (expanding the Sportsplex pool),” she said, before asking whether Fins could host events with 25-metre lanes.
Moose Jaw has one of the best pools in Saskatchewan to host swimming events since it has 10 lanes, Blais said, and even at 25 metres long, the Sportsplex can hold several events because of its ability to accommodate spectators.
Funding shortfall
Finance director Brian Acker pointed out that the new outdoor aquatic centre is an unfunded project because city hall doesn’t have the money to build it. Instead, the city is facing a $60-million capital deficit over the next five years and doesn’t even have enough funding to refurbish the Thunderbird Viaduct/Fourth Avenue bridge.
Moreover, there is a capital budget deficit of $3.66 million this year, but that has been reduced using $2.5 million in investment earnings, he continued. Administration is proposing the creation of a stormwater utility this year, which would generate revenue and cover the remaining deficit.
“(The) reality is, for the City of Moose Jaw, we are struggling to do the basic rehabilitation and replacement of items, let alone the major items,” Acker said.
The municipality needs more money from other sources to build the new CVLS, renovate the bridge and construct a pool, he added. Council could borrow some of that money, but those three projects alone cost nearly $100 million.
