Steinbach Aquatic Centre could be finest in province

After decades of discussion and debate, which included several referendums, the stunning new Steinbach Aquatic Centre, a facility well worth waiting for, has officially opened to the public.

The state-of-the-art, 25,000 sq. ft. indoor swimming pool facility may well be the finest aquatic centre in the province. Not because it is the largest, but because of its uniqueness, versatility, and all it has to offer.

Originally scheduled to open in mid-August, city officials remained hopeful Manitoba Department of Health officials could give the centre their final stamp of approval in time for the pool to open when the first swim lessons were scheduled.

Built at a cost of $5.7 million by PCL Construction of Winnipeg, there were no major problems during the construction period. The delay in opening has been mainly due to testing of equipment and water quality.

The indoor aquatic centre has something for everyone. It is comprised mainly of two separate pools, including a six-lane 25-metre lap pool, which also includes a one-metre diving board and a drop slide into the pool. There is also space to add a three-metre diving board; although with a $15,000 price tag, it is not being done at this time.

Adjacent to the lap pool is the leisure pool, with a zero entrance level on one end to accommodate handicapped people and small children. Beside the leisure pool is a 200-foot water slide.

Features in the leisure pool include geysers, a teacup that sprays, three pigs with water squirting out of their mouths, a bubble pit and lazy river. There is also a 13-person hot tub and a large sauna.

During the summer months, the outdoor pool will be reopened and all three will be available for use with one admission for all, creating a major aquatic centre. Swimmers will be able to go back and forth to the pool of their choosing. All three pools run on separate mechanical systems, so if there is a problem in one of them, two of the pools can continue to operate.

Aquatic Centre Manager Kim Duncan points out that the aquatic centre is not just an indoor pool but also a family area. Especially in the summer, families will be encouraged to bring a picnic lunch and spend the day.

Duncan is enthused about the staff members who are returning as pool supervisors. With a new facility open 100 hours a week year round, staffing is a major component of the new pool.

Programs being offered at the new pool include speed swimming, offered in conjunction with the Manta Swim Club in Winnipeg.

Duncan says when people have been coming in to register, the majority of them have been in awe of the new facility. Plans are to offer other programs as needed to meet the demand, once everything is up and running.

In response to critics who say the city has overbuilt, City Manager Jack Kehler says to have built just an enclosed tank would have cost about $3.6 million. Then the city, because of fewer users, would have been stuck with a higher annual deficit than is projected with the now completed building.

The pool can accommodate 350 swimmers inside and another 300 at the outdoor pool.

With the exception of a $20,000 Manitoba Government Community Services grant, the entire cost of the capital project is being financed by Steinbach taxpayers. Two million dollars was raised through a five-year debenture and the remainder from pool reserves the city built up over recent years.

About $350,000 has also been raised through local corporate donations, with the largest ones coming from the Loewen Foundation, Steinbach Credit Union, Biovail and Hytek.