After two years of renovations and $12 million, the renovated Maple Ridge Leisure Centre opens its doors today, although parts of the complex remain off limits, pending last-minute work.
The new leisure pool, lobby and half of the change area were all open to the public Monday morning, although the sauna and steam room remain closed while final touches were done.
Read more: Pool and change areas may not be included in soft opening of Maple Ridge Leisure Centre
In addition, the competition pool remains closed, although that should re-open soon as well. The city is in the final steps of commissioning for the competition pool and will provide a timeline for that soon, it said online.
“There was a minor glitch with the competition pool which has been solved now. This requires a recommissioning procedure, which is underway, and should complete in a week or so …” said Mayor Mike Morden online.
“A long wait, but I think you’ll agree (it) was worth it,” he said.
Morden said earlier that the public has been patient.
“First and foremost, we must provide a safe building. It’s a 40-year-old facility, and as much as issues can arise, new facilities like this one would be many, many times the cost,” he said by e-mail.
Council will hear back from staff on how the city might improve processes to ensure the city gets the best value for its tax dollars, while delivering the best service possible, he added.
Valoree Richmond, acting director of parks and facilities, said the delay in re-opening the competition pool was caused by a problem with a valve, which has been fixed.
The competition pool is in the final stage of commissioning and should be open before the grand reopening on Feb. 23, she added. So far, the feedback from the public on the renovations has been positive, she added.
The partial re-opening, or soft reopening, goes from Feb. 3 to 22 and offers discount admission fees of $2 for adults and $1 for kids.
Read more: Maple Ridge pool getting ready to re-open after two years
“The soft reopening is an opportunity to do a trial run for operations that will allow our valued customers to test out the renovated areas,” the city said on its website.
In the summer, the city announced that the re-opening of the Leisure Centre would be delayed because of structural issues discovered during renovations.
When the pool area first closed on March 26, 2018, it was estimated renovations would take 13 months to complete.
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