On Monday May 27, the Sundre and District Aquatic Society, which operates the Sundre Aquaplex, presented a request to town council, hoping for a positive response. I apologize to the aquatic society’s board as well as the Sundre and District Agricultural Society about the reception they received from council — we did not adequately express our appreciation for your amazing work. I know there was frustration with council’s revised motion, with amendments, to begin talks with town administration about the possibility and feasibility of transitioning operations from the aquatic society’s board and the agricultural society to the Town of Sundre.
Council struggled with the proposed motion, despite the urgency of the request before them. The volunteer aquatic society’s board is proposing the transfer of its operational responsibilities to the Town of Sundre. It is clear now that the board simply wants to bring its issues forward to council, through the town administration and staff. Council has now given administration the direction needed to work with the board to develop a set of options and recommendations, including pros and cons.
Our community is unique. Show me another community in Canada that took the closure of an outdoor 1967 Centennial pool 20 years ago and said, “We will fundraise, build an indoor pool to operate year-round, with a fitness facility, for cash, with no loans to pay, then operate the facility for 15 or more years with volunteers and fundraising” — all on the backs of volunteers in Sundre and district. Show me another community where volunteers took a financially struggling facility four years ago, did a facility audit, prioritized the renovations necessary, did them through donations from community business partnerships, grant applications, and “free” volunteer labour from community partners, and brought a 15-year-old facility up to current code. Only in Sundre would the volunteers who built this community come together in a project like this — then offer the Town of Sundre the gift of a $6 million to $10 million facility, when the volunteer base realized they were unable to sustain the workload demands of this complex facility.
Municipalities typically run pools because they have legal, health and safety, operational, financial, payroll, maintenance and certification already built into their staffing expertise. The volunteers operating and maintaining the Aquaplex must duplicate all these functions — on their own time. The aquatic society’s board knows the struggle to keep a facility viable. They are willing to advise, guide and commit to ensure their legacy of expertise is passed on to town staff, so this incredibly valuable community asset can continue to serve the 3,500 to 4,000 patron visits per month.
The aquatic society’s board members and all of those who have come before them as board members, volunteers, donation contributors, businesses, and farm families, have built and operated this community facility more economically than any municipality ever could. Mountain View County has committed to fund this facility with $1 million for operations spread over the next five years; but the aquatic society’s board received a response from town council to start formal discussions about a possible transition plan for transfer to the Town of Sundre that was perceived to be less than grateful and supportive.
Again, I apologize to the board and the agricultural society for not expressing the gratitude of the Sundre and district community for their incredible dedication, diligence, and day-to-day amazing hard work. You truly are the definition of community spirit that makes me so very proud to live in our community.
Details of any potential transition proposal by the aquatic society’s board and the agricultural society are yet to be discussed. The option of closing the Aquaplex is a non-starter. I personally believe the proposed option requested by the board is the best option for our community.
A third time, I apologize to the board and the agricultural society for not adequately expressing our appreciation and I ask you to bring your solutions on a transition plan so that we can all do the right thing for our community. There is a serious need for the town to consider taking control and operation of the Aquaplex, which has added to quality of life and benefited so many while being a driver for community economic development. It will continue to do so into the future.
As always, please call me at 403-559-7352 with your thoughts about this — or any other — issue.
Terry Leslie,
Mayor of Sundre
