The City of Flin Flon is going big with its latest proposal to get grant funding for a new Flin Flon Aqua Centre.
The City, looking at another way to further finance the replacement for the now-closed and demolished pool, is pursuing funding through the Manitoba government’s Arts, Culture and Sport in Community (ACSC) fund in the large project stream. In a meeting in March, City executive staff said the City would be seeking $3 million through the stream - instead, the City is now looking for the maximum amount available through the stream, around $5 million.
“The past intake with the large amount that we asked for, for the pool, we were not successful, but Cait [Bailey, City recreation director] is, as we speak, writing for the next intake, which is relatively close to the deadline, but we still have a little bit of time,” said City chief administrative officer Lyn Brown.
“We will be asking for around $5 million from the large capital program.”
The reason for the bigger ask is the pool project’s increased projected price. The original plan for an Aqua Centre replacement was set to have a price tag just shy of nine million when the project was first announced, but costs related to the project have increased since, with the City pinning the blame on global inflation and increased cost of construction materials. The current cost of the pool is now expected to be around $14.6 million, with a contingency plan in place for the City to cover up to over a $17 million price tag. That increase needs to be offset - Brown hopes the province can provide a helping hand to get the project moving.
“Based on what we have, in terms of the most up-to-date information we have in regard to the pool - which we’ve all talked about, we don’t have new stuff at this point - we’re going to ask for $5 million,” Brown said.
“That’s based on the difference from what we thought it was when we first started this project and what it looks like it could end up to be. There is a maximum amount of $5 million [accessible through the grant].”
The pool project’s cost has increased twice since last summer, both times after consultation with the construction group contracted to design and build the pool, Winnipeg-based Ernst Hansch Construction.
Construction of a possible pool was also delayed from a possible start this year to a likely start date of spring 2024, according to councillors during a council meeting last month.
The site for the new pool will be on the same site as the old pool, near Ross Creek and the water treatment plant off Ash Crescent. The area formerly occupied by the Willow Park Curling Club, about 200 metres northeast of that site, was seen as the most likely site for a new pool until last spring, when geophysical results for the site showed it would not be suitable to build a new pool on.
The deadline for the provincial grant program was April 24.
