Editor, The News:
Re: Maple Ridge outdoor pool price could almost double.
In my humble opinion, Maple Ridge needs an indoor pool, not an outdoor one.
Once we spend millions on this Band-Aid solution, we won’t get an indoor pool for decades, perhaps ever.
An outdoor pool may be cheaper to build, but it will have higher operating costs due to higher heat loss.
It will serve a narrow population group – competitive swimmers. The older folks and toddlers or kids will not want to go there.
It will likely be closed for the coldest days (remember how long last winter was?).
Working conditions for lifeguards will be less than comfortable.
Out of curiosity, how many year-round outdoor pools are there in B.C.?
I also believe that public consultation on this has been inadequate – we have been kept in the dark about the decision-making process.
So why don’t we walk before we run and focus on what started the whole discussion – an indoor pool, instead of gazillions of (with all due respect) second priority projects that hijacked the main one.
Pavel Tkatchouk
Maple Ridge