Population growth and Service Standard:
The population in the City of North Vancouver has doubled from roughly 26,000 (1966) to 53,000 (2018) since Harry Jerome was built. Thus, the service standards (using population served as a surrogate for service standards) at Harry Jerome pool declined as crowding increased from 4333 people/lane (1966) to 8000 people/lane (2018). Over an expected 50 year pool lifetime, the population in the City may expand to 95,000 (based on growth over the past 50 years) and the crowding would increase to 9500/lane if the City goes ahead with its plan to build a 10-lane, 25 metre pool. This crowding drives people away to other pools and away from aquatics to other activities, which may not be fitness oriented.
Target audience:
A 25m pool emphasizes lap swimming to the exclusion of many other aquatic activities. This targets only a small proportion of the population – those who use lap swimming for fitness, competitive swimming and swim lessons. Due to operational constraints, a 25m pool will not be able to effectively address a broader audience that would include youth, young adults, mature patrons and the elderly (i.e. it will be business as usual, in a larger 25m pool).
Create a tourist attraction and local destination:
The closest 50m pool is the Vancouver Aquatic Centre (VAC). VAC is an aging facility that does not offer a leisure pool or fitness centre and is poorly situated for access; it is unlikely to compete with a new 50m pool at Harry Jerome, the only one on the North Shore.
A 50m pool would create a lot of local interest and would reclaim those 97,000 pool visits to West Vancouver’s pool (PERC report). The flexible programming would create visitor options at all times which would also increase its desirability as a local destination. It is worth noting that the District of North Vancouver replaced the 37m pool at William Griffin with a 6 lane, 25m pool (now Delbrook). The reduction in space at Delbrook pool, leisure pool aside, will displace the public to a 50m pool at Harry Jerome.
For sport enthusiasts who come to the North Shore for its other sport amenities, a 50m pool at Harry Jerome would become a feature sport destination and tourist attraction. In addition, local hotels and motels would feature a 50m pool in their advertising.
