MOUNT FOREST – As Wellington North council's plan to demolish the Mount Forest Lion Roy Grant pool and use the location for a new water tower continues to make a splash in the community, some residents are still asking them to reconsider fundraising for a new pool in favour of repairing the existing one.
What started as two delegations about the future of the old pool quickly devolved into an impromptu question and period on the future and feasibility of a new outdoor pool proposed to be constructed beside the Mount Forest and District Sports Complex at a Wellington North council meeting Monday evening.
But when asked whether he considers the matter closed, mayor Andy Lennox said doesn't believe renovating the existing pool warrants revisiting considering the "exhaustive" approach council has taken over the last few years.
"Nobody on this panel likes the dollar amount that's involved, we'd all like to have a pool in Mount Forest for much less than what's proposed but this is where we are today and we're working with the community and hoping the community will rally around this project in order to make it a reality," said Lennox, whose comments were met with groans from members of the gallery.
Calling Mount Forest's longtime lack of an operational pool a "travesty" and "shameful," resident and delegate Thomas Potts shared concerns about council's accountability and transparency surrounding the project before asking them to reconsider renovating the existing pool.
Approved unanimously by council later in the meeting, Potts' delegation followed recommendations included in a new report for council to direct staff to protect the future expansion of the Mount Forest waterworks facility by installing a new water tower at the site of the existing pool on Parkside Drive.
"The physical, mental and general well-being of the community and youth are much more relevant than a new pool pipe dream that may never be obtained if fundraising doesn't meet the lofty goals that are required," said Potts. "It may seem old school but I have the mindset of fixing what you have instead of building a new facility."
The second delegate, Chuck Markel called $5 million an "insane" amount of money to spend on a new pool and said he would rather the money be directed towards fixing the existing facility in whatever way they can.
Anticipated to cost $5.3 million, the new pool has a community fundraising goal of $2.5 million with the remaining funds to cost taxpayers approximately $60 per year based on a $300,000 home.
As repairing the existing pool was determined to be a similar price to building a new pool when investigated previously, Coun. Sherry Burke said council went in the direction of a new pool because it was time to "stop putting good money into bad."
Decommissioning and rehabilitating the existing site for alternative use is anticipated to cost $200,000 and was included in the 2024 capital budget.
"Your town doesn't want a new pool. The fundraising isn't there...You guys have a real big chance to do the right thing and fix your pool because these people deserve it," said Markel, whose delegation was met with applause.
The Mount Forest Aquatics Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee shared earlier this year that it's been difficult for the committee to gain volunteers for their corporate donor program "due to negativity associated with the project" and the current MRI fundraising initiative for the Palmerston and District Hospital.
While there's no formal group against the pool campaign, hundreds of residents have been vocal online about their negative feelings for the pool since it was proposed.
"It's not a weakness to say you know what, maybe we didn't consider this and we're gonna change our minds," said Michelle McGinnis, one of approximately 50 people who attended the meeting to speak against demolishing the old pool.
Calling hers the unpopular opinion, Lara Riehl was the sole resident who spoke in support of the new pool plan during the meeting.
"I've used that pool for 40 years and over time I totally understand the money that we have been putting into that year after year to maintain that to be able to be used and at some point, it does need to be a new pool," said Riehl "I just think that we're at that point."
Questions were later cut short after some residents began to shout from the gallery with one resident looking directly at the councillors, repeatedly saying "shame" and leaving council chambers when Lennox banged his gavel.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
