Fort Smith (Feb 21/05) - The latest round of tenders are in for the new swimming pool building in Fort Smith, and project manager Richard Power is confident construction will go ahead this time.

On Feb. 11, two invited tenders were received -- coming in at $3 million from CAB Construction of Fort Smith and $3.058 million from Chandos Construction of Edmonton.

"We're pretty well on the money," said Power.

Tenders received last October came in about $2 million over budget.

Council has yet to officially accept one of the most recent bids, but Power will recommend the town negotiate with CAB Construction.

The talks would involve various options for the building.

"One way or the other, we're going to be going ahead with a pool," he said, adding he hopes construction can begin by mid-June.

Council has already purchased a stainless steel pool and hardware for just over $600,000, which will be installed by Master Pools of Edmonton.

Power says the total cost of the pool project will be about $4 million.

The town's existing pool is 27 years old and has exceeded its life expectancy by many years.

It is only opened during the summer months.