The heavy equipment is in place and the site clearing is underway.
Moncton began planning for the $5.4-million pool project eight years ago.
“I think it's a great idea,” said resident Lee Leafloor.
“The more facilities for children and parents to go to that keep them outdoors, the better.”
Not everyone however is ready to jump into the deep end. There are mixed reactions on the city's Facebook page.
Here’s a sample of some of the comments:
- “Will you be replanting any trees to offset the 200 you're cutting down?”
- “It's a lot of money. Hopefully people will use it.”
- “I wish you would get wading pools like Fredericton has! I like them a lot more than the splash pads.”
City officials have answers to those questions.
"This new pool project … will have a few splash elements in there and it will have a large lane swimming pool with a deep end as well,” said Parks and Leisure Director Dan Hicks.
City of Moncton spokeswoman Isabelle Leblanc said the city will replace some of the trees it has cut down.
“The city is planting 130 trees, new trees in addition to plants and shrubs,” Leblanc said. “Like in all of our municipal facilities we try to keep the cost very low.”
The old pool is located in a flood zone that resulted in numerous closures over the years.
“The pool became unrepairable and it was very difficult to maintain,” Leblanc said. “Every spring, we'd have flooding and it just became unbearable.”
The new pool will also have picnic areas, shelters and new changing facilities.
“We want this pool facility to fit in there and look like it's been there for some time,” said Hicks. “You know, it's going to fit nicely into the landscape.”
Still, some want to wait to see the finished project before giving it their stamp of approval.
“We'll see,” says Arlene Woodford. “Hopefully it’ll be big enough to accommodate all the kids that come here.”
With a multi-million dollar price tag, city officials say there should be enough room for everyone.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis.
