Vancouver’s Kits Pool to reopen by August long weekend, park board says

One of Vancouver’s summer hot spots will reopen after all — though, not without a delay.

The Vancouver Park Board confirmed Monday that it has a plan in place to open the Kitsilano Outdoor Pool by the August long weekend.

1:51 Kitsilano Pool may not reopen this summer

The pool suffered damage during the king tide and storm surge on Jan. 7, which flooded the pool and its deck.

In April, city recreation services announced the pool would not be reopened for the May long weekend, and warned the pool may remain closed for the entirety of the summer due to the scale of the damage.

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“Early inspections by engineers showed substantial cracks, movement of cement slabs and gaps in the expansion joints, which led to concerns about whether or not there were voids under the pool tanks,” the park board said in a media release Monday.

However, officials now say an assessment of the facility has confirmed that the pool’s structural integrity has not been compromised and that it can be refilled with water once cracks on its concrete surface have been sealed.

That work will require weather that remains consistently dry for a full week. After that, refilling the pool and treating and heating the water will take another two weeks, the board said.

“If all goes to plan, Kits Pool will reopen from Saturday, July 30 to Monday, September 5, and long-term assessments and repairs will be undertaken in the off season,” the park board stated.

“These more in-depth repairs will be to rejuvenate the pool’s structure back to what it was before the storm and could include more extensive maintenance for the deeper cracks that went through the entire thickness of the pool, which will be chipped out for the addition of new rebar.”

2:17 Stanley Park seawall heavily damaged during king tides

The Stanley Park seawall and Jericho Pier also suffered heavy damage during the January wind storm and king tide, with estimated repair costs at about $1.5 million and $20 million, respectively.

The full cost of the repair has not been released.

The popular outdoor pool was named by CNN as one of the world’s best places to swim in 2020, and is the longest saltwater pool in North America at 137 metres.

— with files from Elizabeth McSheffrey