Investing in Bonivital Pool

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/04/2019 (1513 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The City of Winnipeg will be investing over $7 million in St. Boniface aquatics over the next three years, possibly the most ever.

Bonivital Pool has served the St. Boniface and St. Vital communities with year round programming and public swimming since 1975.

This regional aquatic facility is the second busiest in Winnipeg for instruction, supporting programming, casual swimming, and is immediately next door to the brand-new Windsor Park Library and the recreation and learning campus they create.

I want to thank Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) who was an important ally in securing and protecting this funding. This pool was named for the two communities (St. Boniface and St. Vital) it straddles the border between, and to that end it is fitting that their two councillors would find common cause in supporting it.

Aquatics are critically important to me, and our city needs to invest in and support these vital facilities and all recreation whenever it is possible to do so.

In 2019 there will be;

• $1.3 million in 2019 for immediate Bonivital pool repairs;

• The pool has some serious structural problems that have been recently identified and are in need for urgent remediation to continue serving the community; and

• Structural repairs — pool tank and deck re-tiling and re-grouting.

In 2021, $5.359 million is budgeted for a major rehabilitation. Funding will support:

• Renovations, upgrades, and facility renewal;

• Accessibility improvements;

• Expansion of public spaces; and

• Building systems renewal.

Capital funding for the Bonivital project included $240,000 in 2017 for a feasibility study including assessment of structural components, building envelope, and systems.

In 2019, we will see $192,000 for consultant services and detailed design to obtain a class 3 estimate for the 2021 rehabilitation.

Taken all together, this adds up to a $7,091,000 grand total five-year investment in Bonivital pool.

For decades, Bonivital pool has been a mainstay for families in the St. Boniface and St. Vital communities, including my own. This investment will ensure it remains so for decades to come.