District of Squamish staff have provided an update on seven key projects happening across town.
The key projects included in the quarterly update are defined as those that have a value of “greater than $25 million or are of high community interest and are otherwise not appearing on council agenda as a separate item in the future.”
These included: the Squamish Adventure Centre, Cheekye barrier construction, the X瘫wu虂n虛ek瘫w Park sea dike construction, Brennan Park Rec Centre upgrades and splash park, the new public works facility and Valleycliffe Child Care Facility.
At the May 6 special business meeting, staff provided an update on the projects, including information on timelines and any changes made since the prior update period, which was at the end of 2024.
Squamish Adventure Centre
The is currently undergoing a "revitalization."
District of Squamish director of real estate, Neil Plumb, said that Phase 1 of the upgrade project is almost complete.
“Phase 1 of this project has focused on the interior of the space, and is almost complete. You may be aware, if you've been in the building, that the gift shop has been relocated, the offices have been relocated, and that was to create more potential rentable areas in that building and usable areas in that building in the future,” he said.
“That work has been done, as well as upgrades to the theatre space. The remaining piece is the Squamish Story interpretive exhibit.
“That work is in process, the materials for those exhibits are in production mode, and that will be installed this summer.”
Phase 2 of the project is for the exterior of the building and is 50% complete, Plumb said.
“That includes a proposed new interpretive trail playground and additional access from the patio on the outside of the building down to the proposed walkway trail,” he said.
“We're in the process of just taking a closer look at options to improve accessibility, specifically around the patio area and the trail, and we're working on design options on that right now and working through that, and our goal to complete this phase of the project is later this summer or early fall.”
Cheekye Barrier Construction
According to the District’s senior manager of infrastructure planning, David Ralston, the Cheekye barrier construction project is approximately 35% complete.
The barrier will be a 24-metre-high, 200-metre-long, concrete structure with a six-metre-wide vertical slot in the middle. Eight steel beams will be inserted into the slot to capture debris during extreme debris flow events.
The barrier is needed to protect both the new people who will live in the housing provided by the and those who already live in Brackendale.
According to district staff, the debris flow barrier, to be built by the developer, will be among the largest of its type in the world.
It will be located on Crown land in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District in the Cheekye River near the apex of the Cheekye Fan.
“Construction started in July 2024, and … some of the main aspects of work that have been established and completed are blasting for the slot that runs down the centre of the barrier, and placement of structural concrete for about half the height of the barrier,” Ralston said.
“Placement of the roller compacted concrete, which forms the majority of the structure, is just beginning now, so that's quite exciting.”
Ralston said that “substantial performance for the barriers” is expected for April 2026, and final completion is slated for July 2026.
“Later this year, staff will be presenting to council on operations and maintenance funding and a local area service tax that is intended to fund a portion of the operations and maintenance costs for the barrier,” he said.
“Staff, which includes Engineering and Public Works, are preparing to take ownership of the structure in about a year. So there's a lot of work that's ongoing at present.”
X瘫wu虂n虛ek瘫w (whoo-nay-oak) Park sea dike
Ralston also gave an update on the which is expected to be under construction this summer.
“This project incorporates a 200 metre long section of sea dike along X瘫wu虂n虛ek瘫w Park to extend our coastal flood protection from the Sirocco development,” Raltson said.
“So this incorporates a sheet pile dike along the high water mark of the shoreline. It incorporates extensive habitat benches in front of the sheet pile wall, and also incorporates pedestrian and cycling walkways, landscaping lighting along the dike top, as well as road and improvements at Main Street and also a water access ramp and dock.”
“After several years of permitting, we have finally received all of our permits, which is quite exciting. We expect to begin [in water] construction ... in the fish window this summer.”
According to the District of Squamish website, the project—located on the Mamquam Blind Channel and Loggers Lane between Victoria and Main streets—will also include the “installation of a concrete pier that supports fixed gangways from the dike down to a floating dock on the Mamquam Blind Channel.”
“This public water access will initially support the hand-launching of non-motorized watercraft (kayaks, surf skis, stand-up paddleboards and canoes etc),” reads the website.
Ralston said that preparations for the project—which is budgeted for $18.3 million—could begin sooner, but construction completion is tipped for spring 2026.
Brennan Park Recreation Centre upgrades
As most know, is getting an upgrade. But what are they working on at the moment?
The District's new director of facilities, Harmony Cornwell, said that Project 1—which is budgeted at $23.3 million—includes new ice rink change rooms, customer service expansions and lobby areas, and is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2026.
“The design work for the ice rink change rooms, the ice rink roof insulation and the new customer service mechanical rooms have been completed, and the design work for the lobby areas and the mezzanine area is approximately 90% complete,” she said.
“Phase 1, which included the ice rink change rooms and the ice rink insulation, has been completed. Phase 2, which includes the customer service expansion and mechanic exchange room, is currently under construction, and Phase 3 for the arena [and] main lobbies has yet to commence.”
Public Works Facility
Providing a brief update on the , Cornwell said that the project is still scheduled for completion by June 2026.
“We still have pre-loading on the site for the ramp and office areas, and that process is nearing completion, and we do have form work underway in multiple areas of the site,” she said.
“There are no impacts or concerns at this stage.”
According to the District of Squamish website, the current public works facility is “at the end of its useful life and is no longer able to support the needs of the community.”
The new facility will help to ensure “uninterrupted essential service delivery such as clean drinking water, safe roads including snow and ice control, and emergency response such as flooding and extreme weather.”
The space is also set to be double the size of the original, reaching approximately 27,200 square feet–in addition to the yard and the existing maintenance bays.
Around 70 spaces have been allocated for vehicle parking as well as additional bike parking and charging spaces.
Since 2023, the cost estimate of the project has increased significantly, rising almost 40% from $26.4 million to $37.3 million in 2024.
Splash Park
Parents will have to wait even longer to get the splash park.
District director of engineering, Sarah Baillie told council that the project, which was slated for the summer of 2026, has been delayed until 2027.
“As the field house is intended to house the mechanical equipment for the splash park, these projects must proceed together,’ Baillie said.
“Why we moved to 2027 was to allow for a sufficient design period. There's also the potential that that electrical service upgrade will be required, so there's money in the budget for that to occur in 2026 before this splash park can be commissioned.
“The next step in the design process is to procure a team of consulting engineers and an architect to move the projects forward concurrently.”
Baillie said that ideally, the “capital spend” will happen in 2027 and will also open sometime that year.
“We'll know more once we get consultants on board. As far as process, we need to get consultants on board, start the design, understand the needs, put in for permits, have that work completed, and then actually move to the mechanical components of the splash park and the field house,” she said.
“So there is just a process that has to take place, but this is a priority project for staff currently.”
Valleycliffe Child Care
The new $3.4 million Valleycliffe Child Care Facility is expected to be completed by this summer.
District manager of community planning, Sarah McJannet, said the base building was completed in April, with remaining work in the near future mostly focused on landscaping.
“There was a delay to the hydro design, but hydro is now installed on site, as of a couple weeks ago, there's final building commissioning and occupancy expected for the end of June, 2025,” McJannet said.
“The outdoor play area installation is scheduled as well for May and June for the child care fit-out and licensing.”
This childcare project was announced in April 2022 and is a partnership between the District of Squamish, School District 48 and Sea to Sky Community Services.
The stand-alone building just off Hemlock Avenue will have 12 spaces for infants and toddlers and 24 spaces for ages 30 months and older, equalling 36 spaces overall.
