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The price for Regina’s upcoming Indoor Aquatic Facility (IAF) just took another hike.
According to the agenda for Regina’s executive committee, the cost for the state-of-the-art aquatic centre meant to replace the Lawson has shot up to $285.1 million — $40 million more than what was earmarked last fall.
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According to a report by city administration, the $40 million increase is due to “market volatility, limited sub-trade capacity, as well as further scope clarity with design progression.”
This is the second time that estimated costs for the project have risen, as it was originally proposed to be built for $160.7 million.
The executive committee is set to discuss city administration’s recommendations to fund the project on Wednesday.
This plan would mean the reprioritization of projects in the 10-year recreation/culture
capital plan to allow for $30 million in funding to be redirected to the IAF for 2026-31.
City administration also recommends allocating an additional $10 million from the city’s available debt room, which would bring up the total debt funding for the IAF to $156 million.
Construction for the IAF is slated to begin this year and is expected to be completed by 2029.
However, the City of Regina isn’t able to access $10.55 million for reallocation from the recreation/culture capital plan until 2030.
Currently, annual spending for the recreation/culture plan is at $9.75 million.
The executive committee is also set to consider tasking the city manager with revising project elements if needed to stay within budget while also “maintaining alignment with project intent.”
If approved, the city manager might also be able to use the IAF’s sponsorship and naming rights revenue for capital project costs.
Other options available
While Option 1 in the report is focused on finding a way to finance the project in spite of the increased costs, council could also entertain other scenarios moving forward.
Option 2 would entail reducing the scope of the IAF. This includes reducing the size of the planned 50-metre pool to 30-metres as well as:
- Getting rid of the program lane swimming space from the leisure area.
- Getting rid of the cold plunge pool.
- Getting rid of one waterslide
- Reducing the length of the lazy river and size of the wave pool.
- Reducing sustainability targets
Council could also consider Option 3, which is the elimination of leisure aquatic spaces within the new facility. However, the report said this was the least preferred option.
This option eliminates the leisure aquatics area and focuses on providing two 50-metre pools to maintain competition aquatic requirements. This option is the least developed and requires the most time for design, carries more risk than the other options and could not be delivered within the current budget, the report said.
“Administration anticipates some basic amenities such as a climbing wall, ropes or floating play elements could be added to increase the functionality for public swims. The design team would consider space that could allow for a future expansion, should funding be made available at a later date,” it added.
Any final decisions are expected to take place on July 30.
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