CITY IS LOSING OUT

Trent Swim Club fears new pool will not get built and Peterborough is missing out on tourism dollars

If a pool isn’t included in Phase 1 of the new twin-pad arena and aquatic centre, Trent Swim Club is concerned it will never happen.

City council will vote Thursday night whether to approve Phase 1 of the Morrow Park development which would see construction of a twin-pad start in 2022.

If the pool, proposed for Phase 2, is not in Phase 1, Trent Swim Club president Chris Furgal wants council to make a commitment to Phase 2.

Based on estimates from the project’s architect, Perkins Will, Furgal said only five per cent of communities follow through on proposed second or third phases.

Right now the aquatic centre is a concept only put off to an undermined time with no

design proposed, little consideration of the work already completed

and no funding allocated, said Furgal.

“We know how difficult it would be to go back to the taxpayers and residents of Peterborough and ask for more money for another phase of the project when they’ve already been asked for $65 million for Phase 1,” Furgal said.

“Putting it into Phase 2 significantly decreases the likelihood we would ever see an aquatics centre attached to the arena.”

It’s not only a big step backwards from where the project was when initially approved by council but Furgal is also alarmed at the cost escalation.

In 2018, council approved a multi-use complex at Trent University including a 25 metre competitive pool and a twinpad arena with money secured from the province and fund raising commitments from user groups including $1 million from TSC, and a budget of $54 million.

Now council is set to approve a (twin-pad only with no provincial funding, fewer

financial commitments from users and a budget 20 per cent larger for a build 33 per cent smaller. “Our hope is that there will be further consideration to the plan,” Furgal said.

“We know there is an election taking place next year and we’ll be interacting with a new council and we hope there’s consideration for commitment to Phase 2 if they go ahead and make the decision at this time to proceed with the plan that’s been put in front of them.

“We know we’ll continue operating regardless but we think the city is missing an opportunity to support an aspect of sports and recreation infrastructure they’ve ignored for quite some time.”

During the pandemic TSC has only offered programs to its competitive swimmers. They’re currently training outdoors at the Lakefield beach with the Trent Athletics Centre pool closed.

Prior to the February lockdown, they were using five facilities to meet needs including travelling to Toronto and Lindsay as well as using the YMCA and Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre pools.

Furgal expects hours at Trent to continue to decline as the aging pool requires increased maintenance. “We’re limited in terms of growth of the club and access to Peterborough youth to competitive swimming by our limited access to adequate facilities,” he said.

In 2019, the club had 75 competitive swimmers and more than 100 in its swim school.

Furgal said large amounts of public funding is being used to serve only a portion of the sports and recreational needs of the community at a time when there is an infrastructure deficit across a wide variety of sports and recreational activities.

The city is missing the opportunity to expand the economic impact of sports tourism, he said. While a twin-pad insures traditional hockey tournaments continue to benefit the local hospitality and tourism sectors, they could expand those opportunities with an aquatics centre.

When TSC had the rights to host a regional swim championship they had to hold it in Bracebridge because the Trent pool didn’t meet requirements. That’s hundreds of visiting families whose tourism dollars went to another community, Furgal said.