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Pool project moves forward
New facility to be ready for Canada Day

Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012

LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
After years of delays progress is being made on the new swimming pool in Fort Simpson.

NNSL photo/graphic

On Nov. 1 concrete was still being poured to form the floor around the new pool in Fort Simpson. The village is aiming to open the pool on July 1. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Last week concrete was poured for the floor of the building. Workers smoothed the concrete around the in-ground pool, which was put in place at the end of August.

The plan is to have the concrete flooring in place so work can be done to the interior of the building during the winter, said Sebastien Goyer, the Village of Fort Simpson's senior administrative officer.

If all goes well, residents will get their first chance to use the new pool during the grand opening on July 1.

"We realize people in Simpson have been waiting a long time for this," said Mayor Sean Whelly. "I think a lot of people were starting to wonder if it ever would happen."

The village council that was elected in 2009 and just finished its term inherited the project from the previous council that was headed by then-mayor Duncan Canvin. After the 2009 election, there was a building in place behind the recreation centre, but no plans for the pool that would go inside of it, Whelly said.

It took the council two years to deal with other priorities, particularly the sewage treatment plant, before it could turn its attention to the pool. Once a financially feasible plan was developed for the plant, the village was able to commit money to the pool project, said Whelly.

The pool, including all the interior work and design, is expected to cost approximately $1.2 million. The village budgeted $700,000 this year and was able to draw on another $50,000 that was left over from a pot set aside to keep the old pool functioning. The village will now be looking at options to pay for the remainder of the cost, said Goyer.

The outgoing council should be given credit for moving the project forward, he said.

"They made the pool a priority and they wanted it to happen," he aid.

He also gave credit to Rowe's Construction for helping the village meet its timeline. Rowe's did everything possible to have the concrete ready even though the project fell outside of the company's normal concrete pouring period, said Goyer.

The building was heated while the concrete was poured and will continue to be heated as the floor cures. During the winter, the pool liner will be installed along with all of the interior walls and other necessities for the facility.

The finished building will include change rooms with showers, a reception area and office and rooms for water testing and chemical storage. The pool itself is 7.3 metres wide by 15.2 metres long and varies in depth from one to 1.5 metres. The pool is 1.3 metres wider and 3.2 metres longer than the previous pool.

With the larger pool size, the village's swim team will be able to prepare properly and more adult programs are expected to be offered, said Goyer.

Similar to the old pool, the new one will be seasonal. The village, however, is keeping its options open. The pool and building could be upgraded in the future to become year-round, said Goyer.

The village also hopes to add green energy technology to the building to reduce energy consumption and energy costs. Presently, the goal is to get the facility open, he said.

Not everyone is happy with the new pool. Chief Keyna Norwegian of Liidlii Kue First Nation pointed to the pool as an example of why the tri-council in the village needs to be revived.

Norwegian said she was surprised to see how small the pool is in relation to the large building it is housed in. She expected the pool to occupy at least half of the building.

The tri-council, comprised of the leadership of the Liidlii Kue First Nation, the Fort Simpson Metis Nation and the Village of Fort Simpson, used to meet regularly but hasn't done so in the past three years, she said.

If the council had worked together it may have been able to access more funding to make the pool larger, Norwegian said.

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