Local swim community pleased with plans to design new aquatic centre

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With a projected price tag of nearly $109 million dollars over three years, including $7 million for detailed design in 2019, van der Sluis feels that would be considered the high-end, top wish list and would more than accomplish what’s needed in Red Deer.

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“It’s my current belief we do not need to spend that kind of money and can do a facility for considerably less that meets all the needs,” he says. “I was very impressed with Mr. Craig Curtis when he presented on different options of an aquatics facility and location. That was extremely helpful and I think can lead to more discussions on a really fit for purpose and phenomenal centre that we can actually do in Red Deer at a reasonable price.”

According to van der Sluis, the future facility needs to be able to hold swimming, water polo and synchronized swimming competitions and simultaneously have public use of the facility.

“At minimum, we need an eight lane, 50 metre pool but ideally, a 10 lane 50 metre pool,” he explains. “We just need a facility that we can compete with, train in and still be multi-use so the public can have access to it at the same time. Many user-groups can use it because our lane space right now in Red Deer is brutal, we lose so many swimmers because they just get fed up of trying to swim.”

van der Sluis hopes to see detailed site and facility designs completed in 2019, with construction currently anticipated to take place between 2025-2027.

“It would have a great impact,” he exclaims. “Red Deer’s central location and the fact we want to be a sports tourism city, will now add the aquatics part. There are regular competitions in Alberta in aquatics, whether it’s syncro, whether it’s swimming, whether it’s water polo, whether it’s 12 and under, whether it’s 16 and under, whether it’s senior men or senior women or whether it’s masters swimming, they’re typically held in Calgary or Edmonton.”

Construction of a multi-use aquatic centre in Red Deer would also include a new parking lot to the south of the proposed site, as well as construction of a promenade section linking 43 Street north to the Museum and Art Gallery.

Costs would be funded through both capital grants but largely through debt financing.