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Just this week (August 23) it was announced that the ACRD will be taking the lead on the consultation process for a new Aquatic Centre.
I will continue to work hard to make this happen. Â It remains desperately needed and a top priority for me.
There has been talk about building a new Aquatic Centre for at least a decade. Â A report was done in 2011 looking at the issue in depth and coming up with some options… click the picture or link to check it out.
2011 Options
For some historical reference, here are the three options that were presented in the study 7 years ago. Â They broke down to just adding, renovating and adding, and building new facilities so they are useful to get very basic sense.
It is important to note that the process is starting from scratch so we should be open to all options. Â This then is just a historical reference to help people get an idea of the issue who might not be aware.
Option One retained the existing pool as is and added a few amenities. Cost (2011) $12 Million.
Option Two renovated the existing pool and then added amenities.
Cost (2011) $15 Million.
Open Three creates essentially a brand new pool. Cost (2011) $18 Million.
I would expect given the length of time that has passed that another report would have to be created at least to update the costs if not to completely revamp the proposals based on the feedback from the community today.
Stay tuned for more as this process unfolds. Â I will be advocating strongly for a comprehensive, modern, and full-feature facility that can last our community for decades to come.
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Our town is still hurting from the loss of so many high paying jobs. Seniors and retail workers make up a large percentage of the home owners. We have already been hit with additional costs for the multiplex, new hospital ( which there is an argument was not needed) , 3 tier water billing, new garbage trucks, yearly rental fees for garbage cans, a new by law officer and a manager for 2 positions in bylaw. Which I find outrageous! We cannot at this time afford more taxes. I think this should be put off until additional industries have located and provided more decent paying jobs. Maybe , with the ACRD spearheading, and including funding from their residents, costs will be lower. This needs to be explained in detail , with estimates of new costs, before proceeding. I think it should go to referendum. If you want to promote something that will improve our town…..take another look at the 10th Ave crossing. Something we have wanted for decades. Bottlenecks during evacuations and Thunder in the Valley demonstrate the need. Maybe, with the evacuation problem that was demonstrated during the last tsunami crisis, the Province would contribute a large percentage of the cost.
Great comment Janis!
Yes I anticipate this process will start from scratch. We will see a full public consultation, likely a new report to explore the options and costs, and then a referendum to approve the funding. Even with provincial or federal help, I expect the ACRD and/or City will have to borrow, and that will mean a referendum.