Some 40 residents of Cache Creek attended a public hearing on Oct. 7 about the future of the community’s pool, with the majority of those who spoke or submitted written comments recommending that the pool be closed permanently.
The pool, which was built in 1974 and is typically open from the Victoria Day long weekend to the Labour Day long weekend, was last open during the 2019 season. Since then it has remained closed to the public for a variety of reasons, including challenges surrounding its chlorine gas disinfection system and its aging infrastructure.
A report about the pool that was presented to council in March 2022 cited the village’s financial challenges, including loss of revenue from the Cache Creek landfill, which closed in 2016, and costly natural disasters which imposed a “significant burden” on the village’s resources and finances.
The report was written before the significant flooding in May 2023. More than two dozen projects have resulted from that event, and their estimated cost — with one substantial project, the Quartz Road culvert replacement, not yet costed out — is between $5 and $7 million. Although most of that will be covered by other levels of government, the village must cover the remainder.
At a meeting on Feb. 20, 2024, council heard a report about the village’s financial situation, which projected substantial yearly deficits (more than $200,000 each year) between 2024 and 2028. These shortfalls do not take into account the estimated cost of repairing the pool to ensure it is operational (between $107,000 and $142,500 if no other deficiencies are found), or the cost of running the pool for the season (an additional cost of between $194,605 and $230,105).
At the meeting on Oct. 7, CAO Damian Couture read out seven written submissions and gave the results of another 54 online submissions. A total of 40 respondents were in favour of closing the pool, while 17 people were in favour of rehabilitating it and four were neutral. Nearly a dozen people spoke in person at the meeting, with the majority in favour of closing the pool.
Several of those who were in favour of rehabilitating the pool spoke fondly about their own experiences and memories of it. The most common reason cited for rehabilitating the pool was the lack of activities for children and youth in the community, particularly in summer. “Yes to the pool; the community needs it,” said one person.
Other reasons for rehabilitating the pool included its benefit as a draw for new residents (especially those with children) and tourists; the opportunity for children to learn to swim; the health benefits to residents, particularly seniors; its appeal in a hot climate; and the fact that the pool draws people to the Cache Creek Recreational Park and is part of the town’s history.
Those who advocated for closing the pool overwhelmingly cited the town’s small tax base, rising taxes, and the amount of money needed to repair and run an aging facility that many felt had come to the end of its lifespan. Numerous people cited the need for the village to direct funds toward fixing flood damage and repairing or upgrading other village infrastructure, particularly the sewer and water systems.
“Too many other concerns in the village that need money spent on them,” said one person, while another noted that while having a pool open for three months of the year would be “lovely,” the village “cannot afford this luxury.”
Several people cited the proximity of the Ashcroft pool and argued that Cache Creek should not be looking at a duplication of services; one person suggested that some of the money saved by not reopening the pool could be used to arrange transportation between the communities when the Ashcroft pool is open.
Another concern, voiced by multiple people, was the difficulty that Ashcroft had in finding lifeguards for the 2024 season, and it was noted that the problem would only be exacerbated by having two pools open in such close proximity. “Ashcroft had a hard time getting lifeguards; why are we competing against each other?” asked one person.
Those who spoke in person at the meeting were overwhelmingly against reopening the pool.
“We all love the pool, and the cost was nothing when we were living high off the Cache Creek landfill,” said one person. “It’s a 50-year old municipal swimming pool that has come to the end of its life. We should have been thinking about this years ago, but we keep having meetings and studies and flogging a dead horse.
“Cherished memories of the pool will remain, but it’s time to move on. We need to figure out something new.”
That “something new” could be a splash park, according to several people who mentioned it as a less-costly alternative to a pool (“It’s low-maintenance and needs zero staff,” noted one person). It was pointed out that the site of the pool, which has washrooms nearby, could be converted to a splash park, which would encourage people to use the park as well. One person suggested that the site of the pool could be converted to a pickleball or tennis court.
“We have many challenges and we can overcome them through good leadership and good fiscal responsibility,” said one person at the meeting, who noted that a pool is not something that a local government is mandated to provide. “Cache Creek has many things they have to provide. Let’s not become a community whose wants outstrip our needs.”
Members of council will now digest the public feedback, with the intention of making a decision about the pool's fate at the next council meeting, on Monday, Oct. 21.
