Progress continues on the new aquatic centre. Shown here is the competition pool that’s almost ready for the liner to be installed.
Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
Construction and fundraising continue for the Kindersley Aquatic Centre project. The roof and outside walls have been put in place to close in the building.
The work continues under the cover of a structure that is starting to look like a building. A building consortium of two companies including Pro-Bilt Structures Ltd. of Kindersley and Western Recreation & Development Inc. of Winnipeg. Pro-Bilt Structures is the project manager.
Construction at the site of the new aquatic centre started about half way through 2017 and the goal is to complete the facility by the fall of 2018. The cost of the project is expected to be approximately $6.5 million in the end.
Jeff Meyer, a project official for Pro-Bilt Structures, said things are progressing well at the construction site. There have been delays due to the weather. Meyer said February was a lot colder than anticipated and the frost inside the building slowed down aspects of the work.
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He noted that the frost held up some of the plumbing and concrete work. He said cement cannot be poured on top of frost, so certain work had to wait. Pro-Bilt Structures is putting up the building and Western Recreation & Development is doing the water features. Meyer said work is on track despite the weather.
“We’re still on track for completion at the end of September,” he said, recognizing that the next milestones for the project are to get the in slab plumbing and pool features in place for crews to continue working on the structure.
The lane pool is nearing completion, but Meyer said the leisure pool and hot tub have to be built to allow workers to start on overhead items. He noted that overall he is pleased with the progress and optimistic about the project moving forward. He said Western Recreation & Development keeps plugging away on the main water features.
Brett Dyregrov, a project manager for Western Recreation & Development, said the company had to change its work plan due to the weather delays. He said in cases where there are two main pools, the company tends to keep the progress about the same for both pools.
Therefore, the company would be doing similar work on both pools at the same time. Dyregrov said company did not lose much time because workers were able to focus on the lane pool, or competition pool, while the frost did its thing.
“Our focus was specifically on the one pool, so we haven’t lost any time,” he said. “Essentially, we’ve completed the competition pool. It’s going to be ready for liner in a week, and then we’ll just move over and start working on the leisure pool.”
He noted that the company had to adjust its plan, but the progress has been good overall. The site is enclosed and containing heat now, so crews are isolated from weather concerns, he said. According to Dyregrov, the company plans to do a progress open house in the summer when it is safe enough for the public to walk around inside.
Mayor Rod Perkins sits on a committee that meets with project officials. The mayor is also one of three council members spearheading the town’s sponsorship and fundraising campaign for the project. Councillors Gary Becker and Dean Galbraith are also spearheading the program.
The mayor said it is “absolutely great” to see an enclosed structure at the construction site. Fundraising efforts stalled a little in January and February due to other commitments for the group, but members are just getting back on track.
“I think we’re going to start focusing more on it as the weather gets a little warmer,” he said, recognizing that council is going to appoint another member to the fundraising group to replace Ken Francis and town officials are satisfied with the progress on fundraising and construction.
According to the mayor, there are a couple of larger donations that are hanging in the balance. He said the group is in talks with oil companies in Calgary, but there has been a bit of local support from another municipality.
Perkins said approximately $3.5 million has been raised for the aquatic centre and the town is looking to raise another $1.5 million for the initial construction. He noted that the community support has been great. The Big Dippers fundraising group is doing a good job, he added.
Jamie Henry, a spokesperson for the Big Dippers, said tickets are now being sold for two annual fundraisers. The Princess Ball, an event for younger girls, takes place on April 14 and tickets are available at www.picatic.com or from Roxanne Atkinson.
The Zest of the West food and beverage tasting event returns for the second straight year. Advanced tickets are still available from any committee member or at the West Central Events Centre office until March 23, and remaining tickets will be sold at the door. The event takes place on April 21 and people could visit the event website for information.
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