Trent University pool reconstruction approved; residence growth plan continues on Symons campus

Two major projects focusing on improving student life will soon be underway at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont.

During Friday’s university board of governors meeting, governors approved the reconstruction and repair of the aging Allan Marshall Pool at the Trent Athletics Centre.

The 50-year-old, 25-metre swimming pool has been closed since October 2021.

According to the university, among the upgrades include replacing perimeter piping, skimmers and pool returns, accessibility enhancements, and retrofitting of structural and mechanical aspects to meet provincial codes and extend the pool’s life expectancy.

The pool’s diving board will be removed and the pool will be filled to a three-metre depth. The current deep end is 3.5m. As well a new header wall (used for competitive swimming) will be installed.

The board says a contractor has been selected and work will begin “shortly.” The pool is expected to reopen this fall.

The pool is used by the Trent and area residents for recreational swimming and swim lessons. It is also the home to the Peterborough Swim Club and Peterborough Artistic Swimming. Both groups have been using the pools at the YMCA Peterborough and the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre since the closure of the Allan Marshall Pool.

Symons campus

The board of governors also received an update on timelines and the next steps for the construction of a new college and student residence along with the revitalization of the Otonabee College residence.

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The university says the projects are in the “final stage” of a negotiated request for proposals process, working with short-listed proponent project leads.

Trent’s 10-year facilities renovation plan proposes a new 400-bed college residence on the Symons campus along with 150 residence spaces at Traill College and a 150-bed addition to an existing facility on the 600-hectare Symons campus along with the renovation of residence spaces at Otonabee College.

It’s expected that by 2027, Trent will add 500 to 700 new residence beds on the Symons campus to “meet a growing demand due to increased enrolment” and to help ease pressure on the local housing market in Peterborough.

For 2022-2023, the university says of its 12,649 students enrolled, there were 10,472 at the Peterborough campus (9,719 undergraduate and 753 graduate) — that’s up from 8,940 students in 2017 (with 7,413 undergraduates).

Trent University is considered the third-largest employer in the city with 1,697 full and part-time employees. A study released in December 2021 estimated the university has an annual economic impact of nearly $712 million on the Peterborough region.