PORT COQUITLAM, BC – Feb. 12, 2020… Port Coquitlam residents are invited to celebrate the grand opening of the new leisure pool downtown along with the city’s 107^th birthday with a day of festivities and family fun on Mar. 7.

The opening of the city’s second indoor pool is another milestone in the four-year construction of the 205,000-square-foot Port Coquitlam Community Recreation Centre (PCCC) that began in 2017. It wraps up the end of Phase 1, which included the opening of two new arenas, a library, lounge, games room and other spaces in August, and a state-of-the-art fitness centre in December.

“It’s exciting to bring this much-needed new amenity to our growing city, as we continue to build an active, healthy community for local residents and families,” Mayor Brad West said. “We’ll have a lot to celebrate on Mar. 7. We encourage everyone to mark your calendars now, and plan to come out and enjoy the festivities and this amazing new facility.”

The event will also be a chance to check out the new aquatic amenities. The new leisure pool will have an accessible sloped entry, lazy river, play features, large hot tub, and two swim lanes. Nearby will be accessible changerooms, seating and lounge space, a steam room and sauna.

The $132-million cost of the project is funded by the City of Port Coquitlam (a combination of land sales revenue, borrowing, phased-in property taxes and a parcel tax from 2017 to 2021) along with a $12.5-million federal infrastructure grant through the Building Canada Fund – Major Infrastructure Component, and $1.1 million through the federal Gas Tax Fund.

“The opening of the leisure pool in the Port Coquitlam Community Centre is a great reason to celebrate and I very much look forward to participating in the festivities,” said Ron McKinnon, Member of Parliament for Coquitlam–Port Coquitlam, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “The Government of Canada is working closely with our provincial and municipal partners to get projects built that make a real difference in people’s lives. I’m thrilled to see this support bring us to another milestone in meeting the needs of our growing community and providing the facilities we need to lead active healthy lives.”

Like the rest of the PCCC, the pool area features a modern, airy design with B.C. wood architectural elements and expansive windows.

The grand opening on Mar. 7 will run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and include free swimming, games, treats, music, giveaways, kids activities, and a draw to win a one-year One City Pass. Registration at www.portcoquitlam.ca/register is required for the free swim sessions from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. – with the first 107 to register receiving a one-day courtesy rec pass. (See below for schedule of events.)

Regular hours at the pool will begin Mar. 8, with trial programs and classes until regular programming kicks off on Apr. 7.

“An indoor pool for the south side has been in our long-term plans for many years and it’s rewarding to see the vision coming to life,” said Cllr. Steve Darling, Council’s designate for recreation issues. “This will complement Port Coquitlam’s existing aquatic offerings, and will benefit the whole community by freeing up more capacity at Hyde Creek.”

With a maximum depth of just under five feet, the pool’s focus will be on leisure swimming and play, learn-to-swim lessons, birthday parties, first aid training, and classes promoting wellness, mobility and social interaction, such as water walking, water yoga, aquafit and parent-and-tot programs.

Competitive swimming and the majority of lane swimming will continue to take place at Hyde Creek Recreation Centre and the newly renovated Centennial Outdoor Pool, both of which offer more lanes and greater depth.

“Recreation centres are the heart of B.C. communities. Port Coquitlam residents will be delighted to see the next phase of this project completed and ready for swimmers of all ages,” said Union of BC Municipalities president Maja Tait. “Funding a project of this scale is made easier with support from all orders of government. I appreciate the contributions by the provincial and federal governments to make this next phase a reality.”

Leisure Pool Grand Opening Mar. 7 Schedule of Events

10:00 a.m.           Event Starts

10:15 a.m.           Storytime – Terry Fox Library (parent supervision required)

10:30 a.m.           Official remarks and ribbon cutting

Free swimming (10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – register at portcoquitlam.ca/register

Free spin and yoga class (Parents can enjoy a workout while children ages 7 and over are in the pool)

12:30 p.m.           Birthday cake cutting

1 p.m.                  Free swimming (pre-registration required)

2:00 p.m.             Free drop-in activities at Terry Fox Library featuring Ozobots and Magformers

3-7 p.m.               Playmania and face-painting in the lobby

3:15-4:45 p.m.     Free public skating

3:30-7:30 p.m.     Free drop-in swimming (no registration required)

4-7 p.m.               Free spin and yoga class (pre-registration required)

Project Background

While finishing touches take place in the coming weeks to wrap up Phase 1, construction has already begun for the Phase 2 amenities that will follow in 2021, including a third arena with spectator seating for 780, a gymnasium, children’s area, more multi-purpose spaces, underground parking with 425 stalls, a café, and landscaped outdoor plazas with seating, sport courts and a spray park.

Upon completion of Phase 2, the leisure pool will be able to open up to the spray park creating an indoor/outdoor experience.

To be completed in late 2021, the PCCC project is replacing aging recreation and library spaces with new and enhanced services to meet the growing community’s needs. Groundbreaking and construction of the PCCC began in 2017, using a phased approach that has allowed existing amenities to remain open until they are replaced. The city is constructing the project with design-build partner Ventana Construction.

More information about the facility and construction is available at www.portcoquitlam.ca/pccc. Questions may be directed to recreation@portcoquitlam.ca, 604-927-7529 (programs) or 604-927-5420 (project).

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Pardeep Purewal
Manager of Communications & Admin Services
City of Port Coquitlam
Tel 604.927.5335 Cel 604.218.0533
Email purewalp@portcoquitlam.ca