Glace Bay man fights to build community pool

A Glace Bay resident is spearheading an effort to build a public pool in the community and got some advice this weekend from local politicians on what's required to move forward.

Bill Davies, a community advocate, has already been successful in persuading the government to reinforce a local bridge and build a bus shelter on a local street.

Building a community pool is a much bigger project, he said.

"This is not going to happen overnight," said Davies.

"It's going to take a few years but if I don't start now it'll never get done."

The proposal, presented at a community meeting on Sunday, is to build a pool complex beside or attached to the Bayplex Recreation Centre on Lower North Street.

Geoff MacLellan, the MLA for Glace Bay, said it's an attractive and expensive idea that needs some study.

"It's a long slow march to the finish line. But today is an important step for the community and I'll be here to listen," he said.

"We'll see what the feasibility study says and take it from there."

George MacDonald, a councillor for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, agreed with the need for a feasibility study before any work starts on the project.

"That's the first step. You have to do a study of the community and see if this is actually sustainable," said MacDonald.

"Even if a magical benefactor came around tomorrow and built this pool, just to sustain a swimming pool is tough. So it's a two-pronged thing: it's to build it and to sustain it."

MacDonald said times are tough for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality but with support from higher levels of government, the project could become a reality.

He said the timing is right to bring the pool idea to the municipal government.

"We're going into budget talks now so it would be a good time for the committee here to maybe come to the meeting on budget and put their two cents in," he said.