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$1-million District of Mission project will cut emissions and save money

Environmental upgrades at the Mission Leisure Centre and other local infrastructure
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Mission Mayor Ted Adlem (second from right) feels the heat emanating from a pump at the Mission Leisure Centre. He was joined Friday by parks manager Kerry Bysouth (right)

Alina Konevski

Mission City Record

The Mission Leisure Centre is at the forefront of environmental upgrades that promise to drastically reduce emissions for the building, while saving taxpayer dollars in the long-term.

The district is moving forward on a $1.16-million project to bring the pool, arena, boilers and other systems of the centre, as well as in other municipal buildings, to higher energy conservation standards, the government announced Friday.

"We're going to be able to modernize a bunch of our infrastructure in this building, and cut down our carbon footprint, and save some money for the taxpayer," said Mission mayor Ted Adlem at the Leisure Centre. "In fairness to the environment, we need to be as proactive as we possibly can to ensure that we conserve our environment."

Greenhouse gas emissions from the Leisure Centre will be cut by up to 30 per cent, while nearly 800 tonnes of carbon dioxide will be saved from the atmosphere annually.

Changes include automatic controls to decrease run times, and heat recovery systems to minimize energy currently being wasted in the pool and arena.

"Most of these changes the public won't see, but hopefully they'll feel some of the changes when they walk through the building," said Kerry Bysouth, parks and facilities manager for the district.

One example is heMissat recycling.

"The heat produced by the refrigeration plants will be re-used to heat the water used in the Zambonis to re-surface the ice," said Bysouth.

Same goes for the swimming pool.

"The warm air in the pool will be captured and used to heat the main and leisure pools. This process will also reduce the humidity and make the pool area more comfortable for patrons and staff," he continued.

The project aligns with the district's official community plan, which has committed to a 10 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2015.

Phase one of the project are the major Leisure Centre upgrades. Phase two will see lighting upgrades at city hall, fire hall #1, and RCMP buildings.

The bulk of the funding, $809,388, is coming from Mission's federal Gas Tax Fund allocation. District revenues are adding an additional $197,000, and B.C. Hydro has kicked in $152,200.

The federal government uses the Gas Tax Fund transfer program to provide long-term funding for infrastructure projects in municipalities across the country.

Abbotsford–Mission MLA Simon Gibson was on site Friday, as was Randy Kemp, Member of Parliament for Pitt Meadows–Maple Ridge–Mission, and district councillors.

"This is a great facility. What I like about it is every time I come here, there's older people, there's younger people. It really is a great facility," said Gibson of the Leisure Centre.

akonevski@theprogress.com