The City of Fort St. John is moving forward with its proposed new aquatics facility, approving a major contract to begin detailed design and cost work on the project.
At its latest meeting, council signed off on a $1.36 million agreement with Chandos Construction and HCMA Architecture + Design to lead the next phase of planning for the facility.
City officials say early concepts have already outlined what the complex could include, but this stage will move those ideas into a fully developed design while also producing a more accurate construction cost estimate.
Early designs show a pool area about twice the size of the current North Peace Leisure Pool, along with a hot tub, water slide, and sauna. The plan also includes an indoor fieldhouse.
According to the city, the validation phase is already funded through the 2026 capital planning budget, meaning no additional funding is being requested at this stage.
According to a city report, the total project is currently estimated to reach up to 185 million dollars.
City staff say the Integrated Project Delivery process is being used to reduce risk, improve cost certainty, and identify potential design and construction challenges early, before the project moves toward any final construction decision.
Under this approach, a team of contractors will work together throughout the design process, with additional specialists expected to be added as needed.
The results of this phase will help council determine whether the project should proceed to full construction.
Final approval for the build would still depend on a public referendum scheduled for October 2026.