The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Mayor Tom Therien doesn't think he's diving off the deep end by being optimistic over Flin Flon's chances of getting a new swimming pool. Mayor Therien doesn't know exactly when such a project could happen but said it's something he and city council have been working toward. "We could start something as soon as next year," he said. "I'm thinking it's going to take a couple of years before we actually get our ducks in a row, if you will. It is definitely something that our current provincial government is very interested in helping us out with." The mayor said it's likely a new pool would be a standalone facility with add-ons such as a weight room and possibly a handball court or something similar. He suggested a new pool would not be built at the site of the Flin Flon Aqua Centre on Oak Avenue, noting that there are other options available. Even though the Manitoba government has pledged support, there is still a long road ahead. For one, it's not clear how much a new pool would cost. A 2001 consultant's report on the existing Aqua Centre estimated the cost of a new facility of the same size at $2.36 million. The price tag has likely risen significantly since then. See 'Provin...' on pg. Continued from pg. Then there's the matter of how much the province is willing to contribute. During a visit to Flin Flon last spring, Premier Gary Doer did not commit to a specific amount. Mayor Therien said discussions are still not that far along. The state of the current pool leaves a lot to be desired. Mayor Therien doesn't sugarcoat the seriousness of the Aqua Centre's problems. "That pool has been living on life support for a number of years," he said. "And I don't mean to say that facetiously - it has been living on life support. However, we've managed to quick fix whatever we've had to do." Mayor Therien said he's crossing his fingers that the 32-year-old facility can be maintained until a replacement can open. A new pool has been on the city's wish list for years. It was initially hoped that a pool would be part of the old CommunityPlex plan, but the mayor has declared that proposal "a dead issue." Premier Doer sparked renewed hope last April when he mentioned the need for a new pool while on the campaign trail. "I don't want to say on broadway what's best for people in Flin Flon," said Doer at the time, "but I do say there's money there and political will and commitment to build facilities in the North, and we are absolutely committed to that [new] aqua centre, however it may be set up." Doer then told city councillors that he wanted to sit down with them after the election "and identify the scope of the project and the amount of money that we should be investing in it."
