The City of Fredericton said a week ago that it was exploring other partnership options for building a new pool — and it looks like it’s found that partner.
The city announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with the YMCA to explore the development of an indoor pool, field house and multi-purpose space for the region.
READ MORE: Fredericton swim club continues plea for new pool, highlights importance of programs
Although it is only in its preliminary stages, Fredericton said that it has confidence in the future of the project.
“The City of Fredericton values the partnership we already have with the Fredericton YMCA and the vision they have for our community. They are one of the biggest users of our gym time and already provide aquatic space,” said Kate Rogers, deputy mayor of Fredericton.
A Memorandum of Understanding between the two groups will be prepared to address matters related to the facility’s design.
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The city has still not dealt with any costs or funding options that may arise from the project.
There’s no timeline for how long that may take but both the City and the YMCA are reportedly interested in any organization who might want to join the process.
Jason Dickson, CEO of the Fredericton YMCA, welcomed the partnership with the city.
“A project like this with a partner like the City of Fredericton aligns perfectly with our vision of building,” he said.
WATCH: Fredericton and UNB pool talks at standstill
On Jan. 24, the city announced that talks with the University of New Brunswick had hit a standstill and it would explore other options.
At the time, Rogers said the city was looking at a 60 per cent to 40 per cent split on the community funding portion of the pool, but said the university was looking more at 80 per cent community use.
But the deputy mayor stressed that there were no “firm deals” being discussed with UNB and hasn’t closed the door on including the university in the project’s future.
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