At least one member of Creighton town council will be on the committee overseeing potential upgrades to the Flin Flon Aqua Centre.
Mike Dubreuil, outgoing recreation manager for the City of Flin Flon, and committee member Cory Thompson made a presentation to council on Wednesday.
The presentation revolved around the future of the Aqua Centre and the challenges that lie ahead, including funding.
“I would, whether its myself or other council members, I think for the benefit of us to keep in the loop, I would like one of us to be there,” Mayor Bruce Fidler told the men regarding the committee.
Fidler added that the representation from Creighton may or may not be on behalf of council.
Dubreuil noted there are three members of Flin Flon city council on the committee who represent themselves, not council.
“That’s not to say that we’re looking for three from Creighton and three from Denare Beach,” he added.
Thompson told council he, as treasurer for the Aqua Centre project, would encourage representation from Creighton.
The committee will continue to reach out for support from area communities, including Denare Beach and Cranberry Portage.
Dubreuil and Thompson presented council with the six options designed by the firm BridgmanCollaborative Architecture – highlighting options 4 and 5 as the favoured choices.
Option 4 carries an estimated cost of $7 million and would add to the existing structure and pool basin, while option 5 would ring in at $10.6 million with a brand new building and basin, among other fixtures.
“You have a challenging road a head of you,” Fidler said.
Thompson says the biggest challenge will come in fundraising.
“We know we’re not going to raise $7 million selling gramma’s cookies,” he told council. “We need an ongoing stream of revenue.”
Dubreuil has applied for funds through the Canada 150 Grant, which offers a maximum of $500,000 to community projects in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.
He said in an ideal situation, the funding would be split three ways between the federal, provincial and regional levels.
“Then we’re only looking at [raising] a third of the pie,” Dubreuil said.
No timelines are available for when the project may begin.
Thompson hopes to see construction underway in the next three to four years, but that will depend on funding.
The Aqua Centre, Dubreuil said, is a staple facility in the community, not only for recreational purposes, but also as a lifesaving tool.
“To imagine growing up without the ability to swim is pretty foreign to all of us,” he said.
Thompson added that while lakes surround the community, there is a limited window during which they can be used for swimming.
Thompson said recreation options are vital for the community.
“If we want to retain youth and keep people here, you’ve got to have recreation and options for people,” he said.
Fidler accepted the handouts from Dubreuil and Thompson with plans to review the information with council.
“Give us some time to go through this study and talk about it,” Fidler said.
Meanwhile, Fidler was pleased to tell council that Creighton has received $250,000 for community enhancement projects from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO).
“This is tremendous news for us,” he said.
The funds came as a surprise to council as Fidler saved the announcement for the end of the regular meeting Wednesday.
Between 2010 and 2015, the Town of Creighton worked with NWMO to learn more about the possibility of hosting a nuclear waste storage facility. NWMO found Creighton’s geology to be unsuitable.