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The city has already approved the $126-million first phase of the South Winnipeg Recreation Campus. The city is now seeking a company to design an indoor pool with a preliminary price of $55 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have to remember that this development, Waverley West, is bigger than Brandon. Our last population estimate was around 71,000 people and\u2026 this is a regional campus\u2026 so we\u2019re encompassing an even larger area of people that (will use this) service,\u201d said Lukes.<\/p>\n
The councillor said funds to actually build the aquatic facility aren\u2019t in place, though, so construction could still be a decade away.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s totally based on budgets. If one were to be optimistic, it\u2019ll take about 1.5 years to design\u2026 and then it takes a while to get the tender out. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m going to find $40 million to $60 million in the next year-and-a-half,\u201d said Lukes.<\/p>\n
She noted part of the design process will be to fine-tune the cost estimate for the project.<\/p>\n
Initial city plans call for a 38,000-square-foot facility, with a six- or eight-lane lap pool, a leisure pool, change rooms and program space. Water slides, spray features, a lazy river, whirlpool\/hot tub and steam room are also among the proposed features.<\/p>\n
That would add to the 59,000-square-foot recreation centre and a 20,000-square-foot child-care centre, which are expected to open in spring 2028.<\/p>\n
The city set aside $1.3 million for a contractor to design the aquatic area, complete public consultation and ensure the facility is energy efficient.<\/p>\n
When asked if the cash-strapped city can afford the new aquatics centre, Mayor Scott Gillingham said the project is worth considering.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are the kind of infrastructure developments we need as a growing city. As the city grows, so\u2026 do the demands for city services, including aquatics in the south end,\u201d said Gillingham.<\/p>\n
However, one councillor said it may not be Waverley West\u2019s turn for more major recreation investments.<\/p>\n
Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) noted the city already approved the $126-million first phase of the South Winnipeg Recreation Campus, with senior government support.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s have a little more even-handedness with the recreation funding, because there\u2019s growth in the southwest but there\u2019s also growth in the southeast,\u201d said Mayes.<\/p>\n
He hopes the roughly $13-million first phase of a Bonavista Recreation Centre is funded soon, noting it would be about one-tenth the size of the facility in Waverley West.<\/p>\n
Lukes said all projects will be considered, though she stressed this one is important for Waverley West.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a province of 100,000 lakes\u2026 It\u2019s important all people know how to swim,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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She noted all city infrastructure must compete for a limited amount of funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all has to fit into the bigger picture\u2026 of infrastructure needs of the city,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The city hopes to have the design completed by June 2027.<\/p>\n
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
X : @joyanne_pursaga<\/p>\n
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Joyanne Pursaga Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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