SUNDRE - Mayor Terry Leslie said that “time is of the essence” as the Sundre and District Aquatic Society could be in the position to make a decision on whether to close the facility by the end of March.
“It’s my understanding that they were hoping for some action on our part as council by the end of January. Now it’s February 10. But they did indicate that they’re approaching a time when they have to make a decision about closure, and that I think is for March 31,” he said during last week’s council meeting.
Seeking a response from the society, the Round Up reached president Roy Cummings, who said during a phone interview the day following council’s discussion, which he was unable to attend, that the main issue the organization faces is securing enough volunteer board members at the annual general meeting in April.
“We are concerned that there would not be enough folks that would let their names stand to have enough for quorum,” said Cummings.
The society’s board of volunteers is currently responsible for managing the operations and maintainance of the indoor pool and fitness centre, a facility valued at approximately $10 million.
“If you don’t have a board, you don’t have a pool,” said Cummings.
For nearly a year, the society has been attempting to persuade the municipality to take over operating the Aquaplex, leaving volunteers to instead focus their efforts on fundraising, he said.
“We’re at the 11th hour now.”
Finding volunteers who are willing to take on the responsibility of operating the facility is becoming increasingly challenging, and he said there could come a time — if there isn’t enough movement from either party — when “there will be no alternative but for the pool to close.”
However, that’s a worst-case scenario that Cummings still considers unlikely.
Council’s motion last week to approve looking into entering a temporary lease agreement is promising, but that process could yet take a while, he said.
When the Aquaplex was first constructed about 20 years ago, the project became a reality under the premise the facility would always be run by volunteers without presenting a cost to taxpayers.
“They believed at the time that they could do that,” said Cummings.
As time passed, the board of the day ran into fiscal woes, and the society, which now stands in good financial shape, eventually started receiving some funding from the Town of Sundre as well as Mountain View County, which has been going on for about 10 years, he said.
“Things changed over the years,” he said.
New laws and regulations that have come into place since the pool first opened played a big part in reaching “a point where volunteers just cannot do it anymore,” he said.
“It’s no fault of anybody’s. It’s just the way things have gone over the last number of years.”
Securing enough volunteers to form a board at the annual general meeting to continue operating the Aquaplex will buy some time, he said.
Ultimately, the goal is to shift from an operating board to a fundraising board, he added.
“But a number of folks won’t let their name stand on the current board,” he said.
In the spirit of ensuring the facility stays open, Cummings -- who remains confident a solution will be found -- said the community would have to be canvassed to see who might be willing to temporarily fill the role until the municipality is in a position to make a final decision.
