Kimberley Aquatic Centre, Kimberley, BC

Residents of Kimberley have long had the opportunity to swim in the community's outdoor pools but these facilities were past the end of their useful life and, as such, had to be replaced.

The Community voted by Referendum in April 2004 to construct a new Aquatic Centre, thus began the process to develop the Kimberley Aquatic Centre. The members of the pool development committee took the opportunity in March 2005 to visit seven of the facilities completed by the VDA team on the lower mainland and Vancouver Island. "How can you miss what you never knew about" was Vic's philosophy as he escorted this tour. He encouraged everyone to analyze each facility they visited to see what worked well, what needed some tweaking to be perfect, and what features drew the most users… were there lots of people in the lap pool, or were they clustered in the lazy river, what was the age of the people using the facility. At each facility there was an opportunity to speak with the Manager and have questions answered. With the invaluable insight gained from this tour, the team was ready for a sleeve-rolled-up session to outline the wish list for their aquatic centre.

Since then, VDA has worked with numerous volunteers, the Project Manager, and City staff to achieve a facility that will make them all proud. The design of the new facility was chosen because of its multi-purpose aspect and ability to cater to many aquatic needs year round and at the same time, promote and improve recreational fitness and health.