Aquatic and Wellness Centre trending on budget and on schedule  (2025)

$1.7 million and growing.
The “Just Add Water” fundraising campaign’s continued success was included in the latest Aquatic and Wellness Centre (AWC) update to Town councillors that showed the $49.9 million project is trending on budget and on time for a (revised) fall 2025 full opening.

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A Sept. 23 update to town councilors was a “good news story” according to Kristan Shrider, the director of Community Services, who credited two “extremely heavy-hitters” – fundraisers and community partnership experts Rob Stanley and the Town’s Allison Taylor-Misener – for helping with the campaign’s success.

The $1.7 million raised to date was sparked by a $1 million donation from the Pryde family of Port Elgin, Taylor-Misener said, listing other “quiet ask” donors including Bruce Power, The Society of United Professionals and E.S. Fox.

She said $1.7 million is a great place to be at this point and they’re excited with what is coming. “We have more to go but with the multiple donations that are going to be coming in that aren’t included in this report but are currently in finalization over the next few months…” Taylor-Misener said, adding they are moving closer to the $3 million target.

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Community fundraising options include a commemorative brick campaign that offers various sizes of engraved bricks that will be installed outside the community rooms at the AWC. The Brick campaign launched in June when the family of mayor Charbonneau donated $25,000 for a brick to honour his late grandparents, Wes and Glenna Chalmers.

Taylor-Misener said there hasn’t been a “splash” to get the brick campaign out into the community, but she’s working with Breakers Swim Team and Saugeen Shores Lifesaving Club members to get involved and “show the passion” of the kids, families and young adults that want to be part of the AWC who will benefit from the facility, long-term.

Although the AWC capital build is funded through the existing Legacy Reserve and Development Charges, the project still represents a significant financial expenditure for the municipality, Shrider said in her report.
To date, none of the provincial or federal grants the Town has applied for the AWC project have been approved, but Shrider said she’s “always optimistic” about four grants they are pursuing as they continue looking for funding opportunities, with help from consultants to increase their chances to get Saugeen Shores applications “to the top of the pile and in front of the eyes we need to,” Shrider said.

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Deputy mayor Diane Huber asked if the Town publicly saying “we’ve got the building paid for” through the Legacy Fund and DCs is causing “difficulty” with the grant applications.

Shrider said on the contrary, many of the provincial and federal staff they meet with are “blown away” by the Town’s financial plan to fund the project.

“So, it’s not a deterrent –it’s actually showing how financially responsible we are and that’s attractive to them so I’m confident that’s helping us,” Shrider said.

The construction update said in September, wood roof panels over the pool area were installed and a masonry crew is working on the exterior walls in anticipation of closing in the building prior to winter.

Shrider’s report said the project is currently trending to be within budget at this point. The only remaining work to be tendered is the exterior landscaping, paving, hard surfaces, and signage.

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Following a recent site visit to the construction, Mayor Luke Charbonneau said the scale is “pretty impressive” when you get inside the state-of-the-art facility, designed to not only look good but to last a long time and be comfortable to be in.

“These are things we’re not entirely used to in Saugeen Shores with the (Centennial) pool – our current pool is not all that comfortable a spot to be – kind of an icky spot. To be because it doesn’t have all those modern features,” Charbonneau said.
He said a “big chunk” of the AWC investment is to ensure it will last for decades and decades to come, and anyone thinking about investing in the AWC with donation should know it’s a “high-quality facility that is going to be there for their children, grandchildren and maybe, in some cases, their great-grandchild…”

Shrider said they are on target to have partial occupancy of the lower level of the new administration space late this year, and full occupancy of the AWC in the fall of 2025.

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