City blaming weather for delay in Bear Creek Outdoor Pool completion

Oct 2, 2018 | 2:30 PM

The City of Grande Prairie is blaming the weather for the delay in the completion of the Bear Creek Outdoor Pool.

As it is already October and there is snow on the ground, a grand opening that was supposed to happen in the summer of 2018 will be pushed to the spring of 2019 instead.

In a media release, the city says the “unseasonable weather and several flooding events” have been part of the problem.

They add one of their main challenges has been the basin coating. Construction Project Manager Lanny Brown says the correct temperature and weather is important for the layering.

“It is a cementitious material that takes three separate layers. A base coat, a coat with fiberglass reinforced mesh, and a top coat,” says Brown.

The next step is the commissioning scheduled for October 11 which will confirm the facility meets the mechanical operations and health department regulations. The city says prior to opening in the spring there will need to be some finishing touches and lane markers put in.

The grand opening date will be announced in 2019.

Corporate Facilities Manager Mick Phillips adds that despite delays, the project will be on or slightly under budget.

by Justine Kelsie