Beyond excited.
Those are words Cariboo Regional District (CRD) Area F director Joan Sorley used during an official groundbreaking and site tour of the Sam Ketcham pool upgrade project on Wednesday.
“Thanks to all the funding partners we are able to deliver the project we envisioned in the first place when we took it to the electorate,” Sorley said as she stood with local leaders and funders outside the construction zone at the West Fraser Aquatic Centre.
Even though work got underway early March, it wasn’t until Wednesday local leaders and funders could gather for a groundbreaking ceremony, said Darron Campbell, CRD manager of community services.
“Realistically the vision for this project started back in 2001,” Campbell said. “For 15 years the community has been waiting for these shovels to go into the ground.”
Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA constituency assistant Jenny Huffman said it was an exciting day not only for Williams Lake, but the surrounding communities.
“The city and CRD have worked hard on this project and everybody is looking forward to seeing it completed,” Huffman said.
Northern Development Initiative Trust director Tom Hoffman said the pool upgrade will support local efforts to retain and attract young families in the Cariboo, maintaining the diversity and vibrancy of the region.
“We are extremely proud of this project,” Hoffman said.
Kamloops city Coun. Arjun Singh serves as the Union of B.C. Municipalities third vice-president and spoke to the $4 million the project is receiving from the federal gas tax funds.
“One of the main challenges local governments face is the cost replacing aging infrastructure,” Singh said, noting according to the most recent national infrastructure report card it is estimated a third of municipal infrastructure is in fair, poor or very poor condition.
West Fraser Mills local general manager Dave Walgren said his company takes pride in its relationship with the Sam Ketcham pool and supporting the West Fraser Aquatic Centre.
“Sam Ketcham was one of the founding members of our company from more than 60 years ago,” Walgren said. “Williams Lake and the local area has always been supportive of West Fraser and West Fraser has always been supportive of Williams Lake and the surrounding area.”
City Coun. Laurie Walters is on the pool working group alongside Sorley and said it’s been a privilege.
“It’s really demonstrated how well the city and the regional district work together and when we share a vision or arts and culture or recreation we hear that passion that we have for our communities,” Walters said.
During the media tour, Campbell unveiled a new online feature for the pool upgrade.
A video camera, which updates every 10 minutes, has been installed on the West Fraser Aquatic Centre at the Cariboo Memorial Complex construction site to allow residents, the media and stakeholders the ability to check on the project progress from the comfort of home.
The camera can be viewed through the Cariboo Regional District website at cariboord.bc.ca/services/recreation-2/central-cariboo. Each month, a time lapse video of activity from the previous month will be posted as well providing an entertaining look at the construction progress. Once the project is complete, a time lapse video of the full 18 months of construction will be available.
Campbell said while the public sees now that the entire ball field and adjacent area has been dug up for the parking lot expansion, half of the dirt will eventually go back into restoring the green space directly connected to Kiwanis Park.
