RDOS backs 25-metre pool option for Similkameen recreation site

Consultation found strong support for keeping pool and arena services, but the board has not approved a replacement project

The Similkameen Community Pool in Keremeos was built in 1971 and has reached or exceeded its expected service life. RDOS staff and consultants are recommending relocating the pool to the Similkameen Recreation Centre site.

Photo: Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen

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KEREMEOS — Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen staff and consultants are recommending a new 25-metre outdoor pool at the Similkameen Recreation Centre site after public consultation showed broad support for retaining recreation services and relocating the community pool.

The recommendation, known as Option A, would move the pool building and basin from the existing Fourth Street property to the recreation centre on Ninth Street, creating a single recreation hub alongside the Similkameen Ice and Sport Court Arena.

The recommendation has not been approved as a construction project. The RDOS board has made no final decision, and the Committee of the Whole has directed staff to include Option A for consideration in the 2027 RDOS Strategic Plan. Additional design work, cost refinement, funding analysis and public engagement are still to come.

Both facilities have already reached or exceeded their expected service lives, according to the RDOS. The Similkameen Community Pool building was constructed in 1971, while the arena dates to 1988, and the regional district says significant investment will be required if the facilities are to continue operating.

Concerns about the arena have been documented for several years. RDOS planning work identified deteriorating brine lines in the outdoor rink and warned that the facility was approaching a critical failure. Earlier feasibility work examined replacing the rink slab and refrigeration infrastructure, expanding use of the site as a multi-sport court and, in later phases, adding a roof and additional refrigeration capacity.

The latest consultation ran from July 14 to Aug. 4 and included online and paper surveys, a public open house, community pop-up events and direct outreach. RDOS received 421 completed surveys from residents of Keremeos and electoral areas B and G.

Nearly 90 per cent of respondents said the community pool provides value to the area, while more than half supported replacing the pool building and basin at the same time. Almost two-thirds supported relocating the pool to the Similkameen Recreation Centre site.

Support for retaining arena service was also strong. Nearly 80 per cent said maintaining an arena was important, and more than 88 per cent said maintaining recreation facilities should remain a priority.

Affordability was also a recurring concern. RDOS reported that 60.1 per cent of respondents indicated that a tax increase of up to $100 per year or above would be acceptable for recreation infrastructure and said that level would equate to approximately $5 million in investment. The information release does not break down the individual tax scenarios behind that combined figure.

The consultation results do not amount to public approval of the specific 25-metre pool design. Residents expressed support for relocating the pool, while the consultant team and RDOS staff subsequently identified Option A as their recommended path forward.

Under that option, the pool building and a new 25-metre outdoor basin would be developed at the recreation-centre site. RDOS says consolidating the facilities could improve operational efficiency and reduce long-term operating costs.

For the arena, staff are recommending that the regional district continue pursuing grants and other funding opportunities for future renewal work.

Previous RDOS planning illustrates the scale of the infrastructure challenge but does not establish the cost of the current Option A proposal. In 2025, staff considered an approximately $8-million recreation package that included $4.2 million for the first phase of arena renewal, $1.5 million for work on the existing community pool and $1.5 million for recreation-centre improvements.

That earlier proposal contemplated renovating the existing pool rather than relocating it and constructing the 25-metre outdoor basin now recommended. Staff at the time proposed seeking Canada Community-Building Fund Strategic Priority Fund money, with borrowing requiring taxpayer approval in Keremeos and electoral areas B and G if grant funding was unavailable.

The current feasibility process will require further cost refinement and funding analysis before the board considers whether to proceed with a capital project.

Written survey responses also called for more year-round recreation and facilities serving children, youth, families, seniors and people with disabilities. Residents suggested amenities including pickleball, fitness programs, walking tracks, hot tubs and saunas, while affordability and the pursuit of grants and other outside funding were recurring themes.

The next stage will move through RDOS strategic planning. Public consultation has established support for continuing pool and arena services and substantial support for relocating the pool, while the more specific proposal for a new 25-metre outdoor pool at the recreation centre remains a staff and consultant recommendation awaiting further analysis and future board decisions.

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