Langford council has unanimously voted to spend up to $35 million to buy the Westhills Aquatic Centre and 186 nearby parking spaces.
Coun. Keith Yacucha, who made the motion to buy the 60,000-square-foot facility, said the step will save future taxpayers millions of dollars, as well as ensuring continued access to recreation in the community.
“It’s a decision that puts Langford on a stronger, more stable path for generations to come.”
At its Monday meeting, council agreed to borrow up to $20 million from the Municipal Finance Authority toward the purchase and to pay the money back within five years.
Repaying the short-term loan requires annual tax increases of approximately 1.75 per cent from 2025 to 2028, a city statement said Tuesday.
Another $9.5 million of the purchase price will be funded by the province’s Growing Communities Fund — a portion of the $16.4-million grant the city received in March 2023 — while the rest will come from property taxes for 2023, 2024 and 2025, the statement said.
The vote puts an end to an intense community debate about what to do about the aquatic centre, which was built by Westhills Development Corp. and rented to the YW/YMCA.
The YW/YMCA has lost $10-million-plus in operating costs since the centre opened in 2016 and has said it is unable to meet its obligations under its agreement with Westhills.
If the Y defaulted, the city was obliged to cover lease costs under a pre-construction agreement, council was told.
In early November, Westhills offered to sell the building and parking spaces to the city, but said the option would expire Dec. 17.
Buying the building would save Langford $10.2 million over the next 17 years, when existing agreements expire, and $121 million over 42 years, the building’s anticipated lifespan, council heard.
The city is also responsible for $14.8 million in what is called lifecycle costs in the next 17 years, the city said earlier.
The building, which houses the YW/YMCA aquatic centre, a daycare, the Greater Victoria Public Library, the Victoria Conservatory of Music and an orthodontics office, is assessed at $35.146 million and its insured value is more than $44 million, the city’s statement said.
Yacucha said the city received hundreds of emails about the pool — the most he’s seen on any topic — and more than 70 per cent of correspondence was in favour of buying the aquatic centre.
Coun. Lillian Szpak said buying the centre is an investment in the well-being of the community, adding other communities in the region have been struggling to support their aquatic centres.
Victoria is holding a referendum in February on whether to borrow money to replace its aging Crystal Pool, while last summer, the University of Victoria closed its McKinnon Pool after 50 years, saying the facility had reached the end of its lifespan and was too costly to maintain.
