By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
The City of Cowansville plans to build a new aquatic centre to replace the current aging building, city officials confirmed on Jan. 24.
“Built in 1967, the Cowansville Aquatic Centre served the community with distinction for 58 years. However, the marked wear and tear of the mechanical and electrical systems in addition to the structure requires us to reflect on its future,” Patricia Néron, communications co-ordinator for the municipality, said in a statement.
The municipality had previously planned to try to renovate the building. However, that option is now off the table. “Over the last few months, the city has evaluated the possibility of a new building, which is now the only possible option,” said Néron.
In 2021, the city of Cowansville obtained a recreational infrastructure support grant from the Ministry of Education, covering two-thirds of the cost of a renovation and expansion project then estimated at $7.77 million. Amid inflation and delays attributed to the pandemic, the province upped its support to a total of $6.7 million, but “the condition of the building has proven to be more critical than expected,” Néron said. Last year, after an additional assessment, the city estimated the cost of renovations at between $20 and $22 million. Mayor Sylvie Beauregard has said the new aquatic centre may cost as much as $30 million, but “we know there have been [equivalent] projects that have been done for less [and] we’ll obviously work on keeping costs down.”
The aquatic centre offers public swim sessions, swimming lessons and lifesaving courses for adults and children from across Brome-Missisquoi, and is used for swimming classes, extracurriculars and sport-études activities by Massey-Vanier High School and local primary schools. It’s also home to the Équipe de natation de Cowansville, a competitive swim club with more than 160 members. It is expected to stay open while the new facility is being built.
Anouchka Guillemette-Pincince, director of recreation and cultural services at the municipality, said the city is “in front of a blank page” with the new facility, and plans to conduct a needs assessment. “We want to determine what we need, align it with the budget of the city, then apply [to the Quebec government] to modify the project so that we can keep our grant. Nothing is set in stone.”
Guillemette-Pincince said she expects the needs assessment to take three to four months. Ideally, calls for tenders for plans and estimates would move forward in the fall. “Under the terms of our grant, the whole project would need to be finished by [the end of] 2028, but there is nothing definitive.” She said the city has accepted an offer to purchase a 31-acre plot of land near Massey-Vanier High School where the new aquatic centre could be built, although that purchase has yet to be finalized. She said the city planned to share information with residents on its website as the project moved forward.
“The construction of a new aquatic centre represents a unique opportunity to ensure a sustainable and functional facility for generations to come. We are undertaking a rigorous process to ensure that this project reflects the needs of our citizens while respecting our financial capabilities,” Beauregard said in a statement.