The planned move of the Baldwin swimming pool to another sector of the park of the same name, in the Plateau Mont-Royal, provokes opposition from residents bordering the park, even if the elected officials of the borough affirm that there is no no other possible location to relocate this equipment.
What there is to know
- The old Baldwin Park swimming pool, closed since 2021, was built on a former dump. The subsidence of the ground makes it impossible to rebuild it in the same place, according to the borough.
- The northwest part of the park was chosen for the construction of the new pool, which raised opposition from area residents.
- There is no other possible option, according to the elected officials of the borough.
The protesters maintain that their fears do not concern the noise that will come from the future site, which risks disturbing their peace of mind, but rather the lack of transparency and the lack of consultation on the part of the borough.
“What bothers us is that politicians say it’s the only solution, that they have no choice. They say the pool has to be built there, otherwise there won’t be a pool,” protested Simon-Claude Gingras, spokesperson for a group of residents who formed to contest the project.
The swimming pool, dating from 1964, has been closed since 2021, in particular due to problems with the filtration system.
The borough maintains that it cannot be rebuilt in the same place because the land is an old dump and the ground is subsiding, which has already caused cracks in the old equipment.
As the soil is contaminated and it would be necessary to dig to “pile” the pool, rebuilding it on the site would be far too expensive, says the municipal councilor for the area, Marianne Giguère. “You could never decontaminate hollow enough,” she says.
No other solution
The elected officials therefore tried to see if the swimming pool could be rebuilt on another municipal land in the same sector, without success. This is why their choice fell on the northwest sector of the park, where there is currently a soccer field. The latter will then be redeveloped on the site of the former swimming pool.
“There is no better solution, assures Marianne Giguère. There were no public consultations because there is no other possible option. »
Disgruntled residents showed up at the last borough council on July 4, saying they lacked information to judge the merits of the elected officials’ decision. “Since the current site allowed the previous pool to last almost 60 years, why would the same site prevent a new pool from having a comparable life expectancy (which would take us to 2083)? asks the group of residents in a document summarizing their concerns.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Simon-Claude Gingras, spokesperson for a group of residents contesting the relocation of the pool from Baldwin Park
“The new project risks destabilizing a harmonious living environment that benefits the population, who will now have to move to the rest of the park,” says Simon-Claude Gingras, who fears the disappearance of green spaces.
Residents suggested moving the swimming pool to Parc La Fontaine, but the location was deemed too far from the current site by elected officials.
Mr. Gingras and his group intend to continue to hold the borough’s elected officials to account.
The future pool will be 50 meters long with swimming lanes, allowing a greater number of swimmers to be accommodated, indicates the borough’s website. A paddling pool and a beach with a shaded area are also planned.
A call for tenders for professional services will be launched in the fall of 2023 for the production of the concept, and the plans and specifications. We hope that the works will begin at the end of the summer of 2025, for an opening projected in 2026.
The borough does not disclose an estimate of the project’s costs, in order to avoid influencing the amount of the bids.
Marianne Giguère indicates that a public presentation will take place when the project is more advanced in order to take into consideration the fears and suggestions of the residents, in particular in order to minimize nuisances. But a change of location will not be part of the discussions.