The University of New Brunswick’s Sir Max Aitken Pool will stay afloat for another three years after the provincial government offered financing to help extend the pool’s life.
The proposal was announced Monday, with Fredericton City Council agreeing in principle to contribute $140,000 per year for the next three years.
The City of Fredericton says it’s all of it is based on the assumption that UNB will assume all the “associated liabilities” of operating the pool — a deal that the city has previously proposed before it was rejected by UNB.
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But a vote at a meeting of the UNB Board of Governors on Tuesday should put those fears to rest.
George MacLean, UNB’s vice-president of academics, told Global News in an interview on Tuesday that the board voted to support the deal and keep the pool operating for up to three years.
“That will allow a period of discussion among the city, the province and the university and potentially other partners, to work towards a permanent solution for an aquatics facility for the city of Fredericton,” MacLean said.
In addition, MacLean said that the university hasn’t closed the door on shuttering the Lady Beaverbrook Gym — where the Aitken pool is located.
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“We’re still working through some of those arrangements, but we feel given the timing of this announcement and the plans we have for the upcoming academic year, it may be possible for us to find some efficiencies by keeping the entire building open for that time being,” he said.
Both the city and the university say that the details of the agreement still need to be sorted out but said they we’re happy that they’ve gotten to this point.
“We do appreciate the efforts of those in the swimming community to bring all parties back to the table to find a short-term solution,” said Fredericton Mayor Mike O’Brien in press release.
The pool has long been a sticking point between the university and the city, with the two seemingly being unable to reach an agreement on who would bear the cost of operating the pool.
The Aitken Pool, located in the Lady Beaverbrook Gym, was originally scheduled to be decommissioned this fall before the two sides announced they were working on a plan to keep the pool open for at least another year.
The agreement was then reversed a month later, only to see the province step in and provide funding for the pool to remain open past 2018.
Now it seems the province has decided to go a step further — a decision the university greeted with enthusiasm in a statement on Tuesday.
“We’re pleased to see that the City has committed to identifying a long-term solution to the community’s aquatic needs. We’re looking forward to working with the Province and the City, so this can be resolved,” said George MacLean, UNB’s vice-president of academics.
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If the three sides had been unable to come to an agreement and the Aitken pool was forced to close, the city would be left with only one indoor pool, the Fredericton indoor pool, available to city residents.
It’s a fact that O’Brien seemed to acknowledge in his statement issued on Tuesday.
“Council has always recognized the importance of recreational aquatics, however, we have stated that new major capital projects must be prioritized in order to be fiscally responsible and fair to all our City taxpayers,” O’Brien said.
“We encourage the swimming community and the many partners (regional, private, user groups, governments and many more) to use this time to come together to help define a long term solution.”
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