Thompson Regional Aquatic Centre getting started this construction season

City council awarded the construction contract for the new Thompson Regional Aquatic Centre at a special meeting on April 17, setting the stage for site preparation work to begin as soon as late May.

Council unanimously approved Penn-Co Construction Canada as the prime contractor for construction of a new pool next to the Thompson Regional Community Centre. 

All of council also approved a contribution agreement that will see the City of Thompson receive an additional $5 million of provincial government funding toward construction costs. Council also unanimously authorized Stantec Architecture, which designed the new aquatic centre, to oversee construction on the City’s behalf.

Penn-Co anticipates work on the Thompson Regional Aquatic Centre project beginning May 1, with site setup starting by the middle of next month and site preparations getting underway a week or two later.

“Those of us on council and Thompson residents as a whole have been waiting for this day for a long time and I am thrilled that construction of the Thompson Regional Aquatic Centre is set to move ahead,” said Mayor Colleen Smook.

Construction of the new aquatic centre, which will have a six-lane, 25-metre pool with one accessible lane, as well as a beach-entry recreational pool and a sauna, is expected to take two years.

The City will continue fundraising to help offset the construction price of approximately $42.6 million. Existing funding will be used to cover initial costs, supported by short-term borrowing if necessary, with a final borrowing by-law to cover any remaining costs upon completion of construction.