Information for the replacement for the Flin Flon Aqua Centre is continuing to drip out from city leaders, including what it may look like and what will or won’t be moved as part of the project.
City councillors, particularly Karen MacKinnon, updated members on the project during council’s Feb. 1 meeting, with new info coming from discussions with Winnipeg-based company Ernst Hansch Construction. Ernst Hansch was selected by the City to be the builders for the new pool project, which already has secured millions in provincial and federal grant money to be built.
“We've met with the company. We've looked at a couple of plans already, just initial plans where I won't get into the details because we were advised not to give any major details yet because it could change in the process,” said MacKinnon.
The location hasn’t been officially announced by the council, but the location being looked at is the former site of the Willow Park Curling Club in Willowvale, up the hill from Ecole McIsaac School. The site was the top spot in a survey circulated online by the City of Flin Flon last year, along with Centoba Park - which, due to its location in Saskatchewan, could jeopardize millions in funding from the Manitoba government - and the former Aqua Centre site on Ash Crescent.
Plans in the past for the new pool would have involved building up over the existing Willowvale kiddie pool and possibly the nearby park, but MacKinnon said most recent conversations with Ernst Hansch have included keeping much of the park, including the Joe Brain Petting Zoo, intact.
“We did see plans for it being put on the Willowvale area and it's a very attractive looking building that's going to add. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's still going to be room for the zoo to stay there, which I wasn't sure that would happen. That’s great. It’s just exciting,” said the councillor.
“There's all there's all kinds of options and details and a whole bit. I have been asking people questions, like there’s conversations about a hot tub, a sauna, what kind of dressing rooms there are or a family room, things like that.”
In the past, city council had discussed the idea of moving the petting zoo to another location if the build required, possibly to Kin Park near the intersection of Green Street and Highway 10A.
“There’s all the mechanical parts and the whole bit, but you will be excited to see it,” said MacKinnon.
Exact details of what the new centre would look like have not yet been fully hammered out, but early discussions about the pool facility have included talk of it resembling a similar facility built in Kindersley, which includes a junior Olympic size pool, diving boards, a waterslide, spray pad and other amenities.
Plans for a new pool will be shown publicly at a later date - council or the City have not yet announced when, but public planning meetings for the pool build have been marked down as part of the construction process.
