North Peace Leisure Facility Replacement Project

Thank you for reaching out to us with your questions. We will forward your concerns related to potable water to our Environmental Services Department at the PRRD who takes care of the potable water systems. Your feedback will be included as we plan next steps in the process for the North Peace Leisure Facility project.

Thank you for your interest in the North Peace Leisure Facility project. When these project cost estimates were developed, we felt it was important to share this information with our residents as, even though they are rough estimates at this stage of the design, we wanted to collect input on what our communities feel is an acceptable cost. This is largely what we are discussing at the workshops, and we will also be presenting information about cost and amenity options at open houses in May so we can collect additional feedback. 

At the same time, we are letting people know that these are rough estimates based on preliminary planning, and they include construction cost, contingency funds and soft costs (e.g. for furniture, equipment and professional fees). The costs are also based on construction taking place in 2026. Once a preferred option is determined, more detailed planning will be completed, which would give us more accurate estimates to consider when making final decisions on project approval. We will share this information with our communities when it becomes available.

Thank you for sharing your input on the North Peace Leisure Facility project. We will include your input as part of the feedback to consider as we plan next steps in the process.

When comparing costs, it’s important to make sure we are doing an apples-to-apples comparison. The size the building, where it is located, the amenities and the timing of construction are all factors that affect cost. While we did do a search, we have not been able to find a pool facility that’s being built in the north, is in the same stage as our project in terms of construction timing, or that is a similar size with similar amenities.

Canfor Pool in Prince George is half the size of the proposed North Peace Leisure Facility replacement (3,500sm/37,000 sf versus 70,000 sf for NPLP) so it is not comparable in terms of scale. The size of the Canfor pool also reflects the fact that Prince George also has another pool to meet the needs of that community. NPLP is the main public facility for this area.

As well, construction of the Prince George Pool was awarded in 2021 and there has been an unprecedented escalation in cost since then. Project cost estimates for the options presented for the North Peace Leisure Facility project are based on construction starting in 2026.

Thank you for your interest in the  North Peace Leisure Facility Project. The presentation for the virtual workshops are being recorded and will be posted on this Have Your Say page. We will also be holding open houses in May where there will be additional opportunities to provide feedback.

Thanks for your interest in the North Peace Leisure Facility Project. This is a partnership project so the tax rate is the same for all four partner jurisdictions. The estimated tax increase for Area C is higher than the other examples because the average assessed property value for Area C is also higher. Actual tax amounts will be based on your specific property assessment, not the average.

Thank you for your interest in the North Peace Leisure Facility project. Regarding your questions about the annual tax, the tax rate changes every year. The rates we have calculated are just on the estimated for the first year. The operating costs will change annually each year, and the debt repayments will change in year 10 and then every 5 years after. We cannot say specifically what will be done when the debt is repaid as this is a decision that would be made by a future elected Board, but in past experience, the tax amount has been reduced by the annual cost that was allocated to the debt repayment.

This facility replacement project is being considered as the infrastructure at the current pool is failing and costs to repair and maintain the facility continue to increase. The current pool is also already at capacity and cannot accommodate the anticipated growth for the service areas. The goal is to have a plan for a replacement in place before the current pool can no longer serve the community. 

Thank you for sharing your input on the North Peace Leisure Facility project. We will include your input as part of the feedback to consider as we plan next steps in the process.  

Thank you for your interest in the North Peace Leisure Facility project. Residents are welcome to attend any of the workshops - not just the one in their local jurisdiction. 

Regarding taxation: no decision has been made on what taxation model to use yet, but for the purposes of this engagement, we are using the Improvements Only model as approved by the Steering Committee. 

Regarding benefitting area: The benefitting areas are not final until the bylaw specifies what they will be; however, strictly for the purpose of the engagement, the North Peace Leisure Facility Replacement Steering Committee authorized using a service area that includes all of the City of Fort St. John, all of the District of Taylor, all of Electoral Area B and all of Electoral Area C.

Thank you for your interest in the North Peace Leisure Facility project. Fees for swimming and other pool uses at the new facility have not been determined at this early stage of the project. We will share that information when it becomes available. For the existing pool, any changes to fees are considered as part of reviewing annual operating budgets, and while a modest increase may be required to address operating costs, when we set new fees, we do so with the priority that we don’t’ want to create barriers for use.