Pool project granted maximum amount

Quebec has given the maximum amount of an available grant to defray the cost of the renovation and expansion of Pointe Claire’s aquatic centre, according to Mayor Bill McMurchie.

Quebec, through a program launched in 2006 and funded by a cigarette tax that was used to pay off the Olympic Stadium project, has awarded Pointe Claire $7.5 million toward its $18.3-million pool project, which includes professional fees as well as a $16.2 million contract awarded to Kingston Byers Inc. The company will start working on the two-part project soon, the mayor said. The first phase of the project will be the construction of a new 10-lane pool 50-metre adjacent to the existing A-frame one. The latter will only be renovated once the new pool building is operational, expected early next year.

“The A-frame pool was built in 1965 and needs repairs,” McMurchie said, adding these renovations account for about $8 million of the total project. With the A-frame renovation work being obligatory and the $7.5 million provincial grant, means the new pool is about a $3 million “optional expense” for the city, McMurchie calculated.

Besides being home to some Olympians over the years, including some medallists who trained or still train there, about 500,000 people use the Malcolm Knox Aquatic Centre annually. The mayor believes the municipal pool’s international reputation put it in good stead in landing the provincial grant. McMurchie added that Jacques Cartier MNA Geoff Kelley provided great assistance. “He knows Quebec City better than we do,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pointe Claire is still waiting to hear about another grant from the same provincial program, this time for an artificial soccer turf at Terra Cotta Park. McMurchie hopes the soccer project could start later this year but the city is still waiting to learn if a grant is forthcoming or not.

Chronicle, Jacques Pharand