The schematic designs for the much-anticipated Aquatic Centre and Curling Club were presented to council June 10, and despite the rather hefty price tags, councillors were excited to see the projects coming to fruition.
The estimated costs for the two projects totals $54,329,700 - $31,581,900 for the Aquatic Centre, $12,532,200 for the Curling Club and site works and professional fees making up the remainder.
Both projects have seen an increase in costs. The numbers for the Aquatic Centre have risen due to inflation and the addition of 800 square metres of lease space, which several councillors hope will bring in enough money to offset some of the facilities operational costs.
The Curling Club has seen a significant increase in cost since its feasibility study. Suzanne Gaida, senior manager of community services for the town, said that through its research, administration concluded that over the past five years the average cost to construct a facility of this size is between $6.5 and $8.5 million.
The original estimated cost of the Curling Club was $7.5 million.
The two facilities will be located adjacent to the Spray Lake Sawmills (SLS) Family Sports Centre and will be connected by an indoor hallway.
The Aquatic Centre will have a plethora of features, including an eight-lane, 25 metre competitive lap pool, leisure wave pool, whirl pool, outdoor splash park, a warm water therapy pool and tenant space for retail, lounge and fitness.
The Curling Club will hold six sheets of ice, a lounge/bar/kitchen, lobby, off-ice support space and multi-purpose rooms.
The new facilities will be located to the southeast of the SLS Centre, and Gaida suggested there may be a need to develop up to 1,000 parking spaces to accommodate the new service.
“These two facilities require an extensive amount of parking,” said Gaida, adding that as planning progresses, they will determine how many parking stalls will be developed.
Councillor Jeff Toews, who said he gets goose-bumps looking at the design scheme, did question the layout of the Aquatic Centre, suggesting features that attract children, like the outdoor splash park and leisure pool, should be located in the same area of the building other than on opposite ends of the facility.
“That’s the one thing with this whole design I’d like to see adjusted,” said Toews, adding that he’d like to have final design plans by July so he can hand packages out to potential sponsors. “We need to make sure we’re thinking about the future of this place.”
The design, complete with new costing projections, is expected to be before council members by July 8.
The town’s contribution to the Aquatic Centre totals $19.7 million and to the Curling Club $1.5 million.
