The Rosemont Aquatic Complex opens its doors

As of June 21, swimmers will be able to enjoy the new facilities at the Rosemont Aquatic Complex in Montreal.

Iris Gagnon Paradise
The Press

The mayor of the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, François Croteau, will officially launch the activities of this highly anticipated new aquatic complex on Tuesday.

Since the closure of the Rosemont swimming pool in 2019, then that of Père-Marquette last year, the Saint-Denis basin was the only indoor swimming pool in the borough.

Construction of the Rosemont Aquatic Complex began at the end of 2019. The new three-storey building, a $39.3 million investment, was erected on vacant land adjacent to the former Rosemont swimming pool.

Scheduled for 2020, then in the fall of 2021, the delivery of the project was delayed due to the resumption of the call for tenders contract, which had been deemed non-compliant by the Office of Inspector General, then by the pandemic and other factors that are currently being studied, according to information given by the borough to The Press.

A complex for all

The Aquatic Complex has 11 lanes 25 meters long divided into 2 pools — a large pool for hosting regional competitions and a small acclimatization pool. Its capacity is 400 people.

“The two pools allow us to be more independent, and to offer greater programming in terms of free activities and swimming lessons,” explains Vincent Beauchemin-Michon, supervisor of sports and leisure facilities for the borough.

Despite recruitment difficulties in filling lifeguard positions, the Complex will be able to offer approximately 75 hours of free swimming per week.

The very bright place has a universal cloakroom with 20 cabins, several of which have showers, and 400 lockers. Nudity is prohibited there. Tiers, relaxation areas and two multifunctional rooms are on the second floor.

The needs of customers with reduced mobility have been taken into account. In addition to adapted cabins and lockers, the main pool offers an access ramp, and a progressive beach is on the side of the small pool. Wheelchairs specially designed to go in the water are also available on site.

Lack of monitors

The borough has given the R2P swimming club the mandate to create all aquatic leisure activities. The latter will also use the facilities for its competitive swimming and synchronized swimming component. For diving, you will have to wait for the reopening of the Père-Marquette swimming pool, scheduled for the fall of 2022.

However, the Club will not be able to offer its recreational courses immediately, deplores its director, Émilie Texier. “There is a real need in Rosemont, but we have to deal with a serious labor shortage. I hope to be able to offer some courses this summer, but nothing is guaranteed. Fall is our big challenge. In two years, in the borough, there have been no swimming lessons for children. Well, that worries me a lot. »

Eventually, the Club will offer swimming lessons — from toddlers to seniors — or, for example, aquafitness or spinning classes in the water, thanks to the borough’s purchase of Hydrorider bicycles.

House of Culture: still under discussion

The Rosemont Center should bring together the existing library, the new aquatic complex and a cultural center in the former Rosemont swimming pool. The three buildings will communicate with each other through a common entrance hall. The important works necessary for the realization of the house of culture have not started. The borough says it is in discussion with the various levels of government on this subject.

The borough is aiming for LEED Gold certification for this project, thanks in particular to a geothermal chamber supplied by wells installed near Rosemont Boulevard and a ventilation system facilitating the elimination of chlorine particles in the air.

Designed by architect Jean-Julien Perreault and inaugurated in 1951, the Rosemont Civic Center, the first of its kind in Montreal — bringing together the library, the old swimming pool and a municipal health center — offered Art Deco elements in its composition.

In order to keep this heritage alive, the new complex was built with the same exterior brick. Certain architectural details have been revisited and integrated into its design, such as the herringbone pattern of the brise-soleil which evokes that of the windows of the library or the wall of glass bricks in the large multifunctional room, reminiscent of the one who found himself at the swimming pool.