Saint John Looks To Sell Or Lease Aquatic Centre

The City of Saint John may sell or lease the Canada Games Aquatic Centre to an outside operator.

City staff issued a request for expressions of interest in the purchase or lease, and related operation, of the facility on Thursday.

“As a municipality, we are in a period of transition to a more sustainable future. Among many things, this means thinking outside of the box and looking at partnership opportunities to support the delivery of quality services across the region,” said Saint John Mayor Don Darling in a news release.

Friday’s announcement came less than two weeks after the city issued a similar request for TD Station.

Finding a private operator for the facilities was one of the initiatives presented to Common Council in 2019 as it seeks to solve the city’s fiscal challenges.

The city recently adopted a restructuring plan that includes a review of the operations of city-owned facilities. The goal is to reduce the city’s overall financial commitments to these facilities.

“We want to see the facility grow and realize its full potential while maximizing value for patrons and taxpayers,” said Darling.

“The private and not-for-profit sectors have a proven track record of operating large-scale facilities very successfully in communities across Canada and right here in New Brunswick. For the benefit of Saint John, we want to explore opportunities that could work with this facility.”

RELATED: Aquatic Centre Closure ‘Unlikely’: GM

Stephen Smith, general manager of the aquatic centre, said in an October interview that the centre has been working to lower its deficit over the past few months.

Smith said the facility recorded a deficit of $1.15 million in 2018 and around $940,000 in 2019. He said they hope to reduce it by another $200,000 in 2020.

He said they have already taken several steps to reduce costs, such as closing the pool from 2 to 4 p.m. daily when few people use it. They are also looking at renovations to reduce their water and energy costs, which total around $400,000 a year.

On the revenue side, Smith said memberships are up 10 per cent year-over-year and they think the trend will continue. They are also improving how they offer swimming lessons to attract more people.

The Canada Games Aquatic Centre was constructed to host the aquatic competitions during the Canada Games and opened its doors in 1985.

It is home to the competitive Saint John Fundy Tide Swim Club, the Saint John Water Polo Club, the Fundy Extreme Triathlon Club, and the Surf City Artistic Swimming Club.

The centre, which is New Brunswick’s only 50-metre swimming facility and one of the only pools of its size in the Maritimes, is currently operated by the Saint John Aquatic Centre Commission.

Expressions of interest must be submitted by February 21.