The proposed move of the Baldwin swimming pool to another part of the park of the same name, in Plateau Mont-Royal, has met with opposition from the park’s residents, even as the borough’s elected officials reiterate that there is no other place where these equipment is to be relocated.
Posted at 12:59 am. Updated at 05:00.
What there is to know
- The old Baldwin Park swimming pool, closed since 2021, was built on a former landfill site. The subsidence makes it impossible to rebuild in the same place, according to the municipality.
- The northwestern part of the park was chosen for the construction of the new swimming pool, which met with resistance from local residents.
- According to the district’s elected officials, there is no other option.
The protesters claim their concerns are not about the noise coming from the future site, which could threaten their peace of mind, but rather about the lack of transparency and consultation from the district.
“What bothers us is that politicians say it’s the only solution, they have no choice. “They say the swimming pool has to be built there, otherwise there would be no swimming pool,” protested Simon-Claude Gingras, spokesman for a group of residents who had formed against the project.
The swimming pool from 1964 has been closed since 2021, mainly due to problems with the filtration system.
The municipality claims it cannot be rebuilt on the same site as the site is an old landfill site and the ground is subsidence, which has already cracked the old equipment.
Because the soil is contaminated and would require digging to “fill up” the pool, rebuilding the site would be far too expensive, says area councilor Marianne Giguère. “You can never decontaminate cavity enough,” she says.
No other solution
The elected officials therefore tried unsuccessfully to examine whether the swimming pool could be rebuilt on another municipal property in the same sector. For this reason, they chose the north-western part of the park, where there is currently a soccer field. The latter is then to 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 way. »
Angry residents turned up at the last municipal council meeting on July 4, saying they lacked the information to assess the merits of the elected officials’ decision. “Since the current location allowed the previous pool to last nearly 60 years, why would the same location prevent a new pool from having a comparable lifespan (which would take us to 2083)?” asks the resident group in a document summarizing their concerns.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Simon-Claude Gingras, spokesman for a group of residents contesting the pool’s move 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.
Local residents suggested moving the swimming pool to Parc La Fontaine, but elected officials felt the location was too far from the current site.
Mr. Gingras and his group intend to continue to hold the county’s elected officials accountable.
The future pool will be 50 meters long and have lanes to accommodate more swimmers, according to the district’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 autumn 2023 to create the concept, plans and specifications. We hope that work will start at the end of summer 2025 and the opening is expected to take place in 2026.
In order to avoid influencing the amount of the bids, the district does not publish an estimate of the project costs.
Marianne Giguère indicates that a public presentation will take place when the project is more advanced, in order to take into account residents’ fears and suggestions, and in particular to minimize nuisance. A change of location will not be the subject of the discussions.