New Brunswick’s only 50-metre pool is gearing up for some long-awaited upgrades.
The Canada Games Aquatic Centre will undergo around $335,000 worth of work.
It includes $134,000 from the province and $112,000 from the city, with the rest coming from the Greater Saint John Regional Facilities Commission.
General Manager Amy McLennan says the upgrades will go towards filter replacements, platform stairs, decking and railing replacements, but the biggest upgrade will be replacing the starter blocks.
“They’ll have a new track style and backstroke ledge design which is what’s being used at competitions worldwide, so it allows swimmers to get a better qualifying time for other events, and it can shave off as little as 0.1 of a second,” said McLennan.
She says these upgrades are timely as Saint John and Moncton look to co-host the 2029 Canada Summer Games.
McLennan added she is glad the value of the Canada Games Aquatic Centre is being recognized.
“Whether it’s in terms of the comic spin-off for the local tourism economy, the local athletes that are basically able to use equipment that is used elsewhere to better prepare and represent the province at major competitions,” added McLennan.
Upgrades are planned to be finished by the end of the year.
