Construction of Pierrefonds-Roxboro aquatic complex starts next month
Pricey but worth it, says Montreal mayor
Joe Bongiorno · CBC News · Posted: Aug 18, 2023 1:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 18
The city of Montreal says one pool will look like this when the complex is completed in early 2026. (City of Montreal)
Pierrefonds-Roxboro will be getting its long-awaited aquatic complex, the city of Montreal announced on Friday, with a price tag of $62.4 million.
Construction begins next month, and the work is expected to be completed in early 2026, according to the city of Montreal.
“I think it’s a really important addition and will contribute to the quality of life, not only for residents of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, but the whole West Island and Île Bizard and Sainte-Geneviève,” said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante Plante.
The project includes a 25-metre pool with eight swimming lanes, a recreational pool, a paddling pool, a multipurpose room and common areas, all part of an ecological design to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the city said in a news release.
Although the city is footing most of the bill, Quebec’s Education Ministry will be contributing $7.5 million.
Acknowledging the high cost of the project, Plante described the future centre as a place of coming together for the community, one that fosters health and social connections for people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, long-time residents and new arrivals.
“Yes, it’s infrastructure that’s pricey, it has to be said. It’s a significant budgetary item, it’s worth it,” said Plante.
An artist’s rendition of the pool that Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis says his borough has been awaiting for more than a decade. (City of Montreal)
Executive committee vice-chair Caroline Bourgeois said the estimate takes into account increased construction costs and inflation, and therefore Montrealers should not expect a “nasty surprise” when it comes to the final cost.
Although construction was initially announced in August 2018 — then at a cost of $43 million, almost $20 million less than the current estimate — Bourgeois said the construction contract was awarded last Wednesday, and the project is finally going ahead.
“We can’t be any more concrete with the machinery on the ground,” said Bourgeois, who affirmed that the price being paid is an accurate figure for what it costs to build such a project in Montreal in 2023.
She also said offering swimming lessons close to home will make the community safer.
Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis said the borough has been working for more than a decade to make the centre a reality, and it’s a win for Montreal’s West Island.
“It’s really a legacy project for Pierrefonds-Roxboro, a pool that’s been requested by our citizens for a long time,” said Beis.
“We have sent our kids to neighbouring communities for all their swimming and aquatic services, and so to have a proximity service that prioritizes folks from our communities … is huge,” he said.
Beis said the facility represents the first step in creating a new point of assembly and public square in the Pierrefonds-Roxboro that will be at the heart of its planned central hub.
