Dear editor:
When I have interviews with the media, write a column, send letters to the editor, or simply post information to my website or Facebook, it is very important to me to get the information I am providing as accurate as possible.
Recently there has been a lot of misinformation regarding the aquatic project, so I would like to take this opportunity to provide clarity.
In its present format, the cost of the Aquatic Centre is $35 million. Based on my conversation with our administrative team the estimated increase in construction costs for this facility is five per cent per year. This number could go up or down depending on many factors. Also in consultation with our finance department, I was told the cost of borrowing money is currently in the three per cent range, here again economic factors could move that number up or down. It has also been suggested that we are ready to break ground on the facility without a business plan. I, or anyone else on council that I am aware of, have never stated that. Members of council know that administration is preparing the business plan to be presented next year, so the statement that we are prepared to start construction without this important document is ludicrous.
It has also been suggested that promising the pool is being used to get votes. Again this is misguided information, as I have not heard any of the councillor or mayoral candidates speak out against the project, so I’m not sure where the debate is. As well, every member of council supported my motion to move it to the front of our 10-year financial plan over a year and a half ago.
The pool is slated to be attached to the Spray Lake Sawmills (SLS) Family Sports Centre. The SLS Centre is under contract with the town to manage the day-to-day operations of the centre in a self-sustainable way. In order to maintain that objective, any amenity we put down there either needs the capability to self-fund, or we will need to support it with tax dollars.
I asked that, included in the design, was usable, leasable space that can offset operational costs of running the new pool and curling projects. Administration came back to the table with 29,760 square feet of potential revenue generating space. After speaking with Robin Mitchell, the general manager of the SLS Centre, he feels the space will demand around $25/sq foot. This equates to $744,000 of potential revenue per year.
With projections of the new Aquatic Centre losing in the $650,000 range, this revenue could potentially cover all the operational expenses of the new facility, not using tax dollars. The excess over and above could be used to help support the curling rink if required, or be put into reserves. For perspective, our current pool is subsidized with tax dollars to the tune of almost $500,000 per year. This pool would be decommissioned once our new facility is operational. I’m not saying my idea is perfect, but the comment made last week that stated the government should not be involved in such an endeavour shows lack of vision and fortitude.
Councillor Jeff Toews
