Sports organizations request more room at new Fort St. John pool in the works

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Three major sports organizations have shared their ideas for what the new Fort St. John aquatic facility could look like with the city council. 

During its December 8th meeting, the City of Fort St. John council reviewed presentations from the Inconnu Swim Club, the Fort St. John Soccer Club and the North Peace Gymnastics Association to gather their input on what they would benefit from at the new space. 

The City of Fort St. John assumed control of the development of a proposed pool to replace the existing one in August, after the Peace River Regional District (PRRD), which has spearheaded the project since 2017, announced its departure from the project.

The North Peace Leisure Pool, the existing aquatics facility, is operated by the PRRD. 

The new facility will likely be located across from the Naache Commons development and Margaret “Ma” Murray Community School. 

All three of the groups expressed a significant interest and need for room to expand, with particular attention from each one on a separate viewing area for parents and an eye for less clutter. 

Inconnu Swim Club

The Inconnu Swim Club vocalized a need for a pool, which would support fixes to their schedule, while also maximizing cost recovery for the city. 

Justin McKinnon, president of the club, joked he would love to have an Olympic-sized facility, but after being told by the city’s deputy chief administrative officer “that’s not going to happen,” formulated their presentation around a more realistic 10-lane swimming pool. 

“We thought, let’s model out exactly what our projections are for growth,” McKinnon said. 

The delegation said expansion at the current facility was impossible, and in contrast estimated that on opening day of a new, larger pool, the club would gain as many as 256 new swimmers. 

The bigger facility would also allow the club to run summer programming and camps, more competitions and decrease its extensive waitlist. 

The delegation also stressed the financial difference between an eight and 10-lane pool, with regards to upkeep, would be between $30,000 and $40,000 a year. 

This is due to the increased size of the pool impacting chemicals, heating, electricity, water and sewage, but the delegation claimed this would ultimately be less than a one per cent increase to the total annual upkeep costs for the facility.

The delegation also advocated for needs adjacent to the pool, such as a swim deck, large changing rooms and off-deck seating such as a mezzanine.

“You can’t have a swim meet with 300 people and tell parents to wait in the car,” McKinnon said. 

When asked by council if the club had any thoughts on what viewing and seating areas could look like, Norah Vogan, the club’s vice president, expressed interest in a vertical mezzanine over bleachers.

“I think vertical, thinking up [on the] second floor even, having [parents] off the deck, would be a bit better, that way you can have higher ceilings and just have [the parents] up there,” Vogan said. 

“As much as we love our parents, sometimes it is nice to have them off deck, just because then it allows a lot more space, doesn’t clutter up with the bleachers. 

“I think those are what as a club we prefer, because then it does open up space for swim meets.”

Fort St. John Soccer Club

The Fort St. John Soccer Club echoed the swim club’s need for more space, with their technical director, Samantha Loeppky, explaining the current space, the Kids Arena Fieldhouse, was hindering the club’s competitive abilities. 

The club features approximately 296 players between the ages of two and 37 years old, but struggles to keep teenage competitive players.

Loeppky stated she believed a larger, 110-metre by 70-metre pitch in a bigger facility would allow for between five and 10 per cent growth in the next five years, especially with women and competitive players. 

A larger pitch and facility would also allow the club to host competitive events, generating revenue for the city through sports tourism. 

North Peace Gymnastics Association

During her presentation, Chantelle Yates, the executive director of the North Peace Gymnastics Association, explained they hoped the other two groups got the space they needed at the new facility, as it would free up space elsewhere for gymnastics. 

“We really would like [the soccer club] to move into the new aquatic facility, because if they move [in there], our utopia is achievable by moving us into the Kids [Arena] Fieldhouse,” Yates said. 

To emphasize the benefits of this plan, Yates included a schematic of the club’s current equipment spread out inside the fieldhouse in her presentation, noting the shape of the building and its high ceilings would be added bonuses. 

Since 2015, when a fire devastated the North Peace Arena, the association has lived in several small, less-than-ideal locations including the Stonebridge Hotel ballrooms. Currently, the association is leasing a property on 95th Avenue until November 2027. 

The association sees more than 450 members register every year, maintains an extensive waitlist and has members of all ages, from three months to 91 years old. 

Yates explained the added space of the fieldhouse would allow the association to explore hosting competitions, expand its daycare program and create a dedicated space for parents to view the activities without being on the floor with the athletes. 

“We can fit about 20 parents in our [current] viewing space, but we can have 50 to 60 athletes on the floor at the same time, so we can’t get all of our parents in,” Yates said. 

“We are really looking for a dedicated space for our recreational and competitive programs, our ninja and parkour programs, enough space that we can continue to grow, viewing for our families at all times and anyone who wants to [watch],” Yates said. 

Following the presentations, staff will continue to gather feedback and input from residents on what the facility will feature ahead of published proposals and a referendum in 2026. 

To read the presentations from the City of Fort St. John, the Inconnu Swim Club, the Fort St. John Soccer Club and the North Peace Gymnastics Association, see below.