Aquatic Centre & Multiplex Public Survey
We want to hear from you!
Since 2013 the Town of Innisfail has conducted two building assessments reports and one public engagement survey assessing the best options for the future of our Innisfail Aquatic Centre. These studies determined that investment is required in the Aquatic Centre to address deferred building maintenance, meet current accessibility standards, and provide improved amenities for our community.
The building assessment reports and public engagement survey mentioned above provided the Town with the following information:
Based on the studies we have conducted, we know:
- The major building structural, mechanical and electrical components are in relatively good condition, but will need some upgrades and another re-assessment in the coming years,
- Minor repairs and interior finish upgrades are required to meet building code and accessibility standards,
- A crack in the lap pool basin concrete slab has been identified and will need to be addressed
The survey also highlighted the following areas for improvement:
Accessibility |
Pool, Whirlpool and Changerooms are not accessible |
Universal/Family-Style Change Room | Half of survey participants agree on switching to Universal/Family-style change room. |
Fitness Centre | Majority of survey participants would like to see other amenities such as: fitness studio, climbing walls. |
Aquatic Program | Majority of surveyed participants would like to see more aquatic programs such as: water slides, spray features, lazy river, and separate shallow toddler pool. |
Outdoor Patio | Half of surveyed participated said it is under utilized and requires changes to make it useful. |
Public Washroom | Non-swimmers’ lobby washrooms do not meet building code compliance. |
Our goal for any future work on the Aquatic Centre is to continue providing a facility that is welcoming, family-friendly and inclusive for all to engage in recreation, wellness, aquatic activities and community services.
In order to best understand the options for our Aquatic Centre we engaged HCMA Architecture + Design to provide us a high level analysis of the following three scenarios:
Option 1: Renovating the Aquatic Centre (exterior walls remain the same)
Option 2: Building an addition on the east side of the Aquatic Centre
Option 3: Building a new Aquatic Centre on the same site
During this project our Town Council asked that we extend HCMA’s study to determine what a Multiplex Recreation Community Centre would look like connected to the Twin Arena Facility. As such, an Option 4 was created that would explore a new Aquatic Centre, new Field House and a new Curling Rink added to the Twin Arena Building.
Multiplex facilities promote social hubs and family-friendly recreation for communities by grouping multiples uses and activities on one site. They serve not only its primary sport or recreation, but also social and communal spaces, and become a destination for residents and visitors. Multiplex facilities provide both energy and cost efficiencies between programs with similar requirements.
This Multiplex would offer not only a multi-sport facility, but also non-recreational activities such as childcare, multi-purpose rooms for community use, community fitness rooms, concession and informal social spaces. The multiplex option would include improvements to support the outdoor baseball activities, improved park amenities and enhanced pedestrian circulation throughout the park. The intent would be to create both a central recreational centre, as well as an active hub for community, family and well-being.
Initial studies are recommending that the Multiplex Recreation Centre would be built in two construction phases to spread the project cost over a longer time period.
Phase 1 would include:
- Field House
- Walking/Running Track
- Child Care Programming
- Multi-Purpose Rooms
Phase 2 would include:
- Curling Rink
- Aquatic Centre
- Renovation to the Twin Arena Lobby
- Additional Multi-Purpose Rooms