Fredericton residents ask for Olympic-sized pool

Many Fredericton residents made a pitch for a new Olympic-sized swimming pool on the citys southside during a public meeting on Tuesday night.

The public meeting ispart of a study being done to look at whether there is a demand for a new swimming pool in Fredericton.

Roughly 40 people turned up at the Tuesday night meeting.

Many of those people said they felt there is a big demand in the city for a larger pool, one that would satisfy the needs of competitive swimmers and recreational swimmers.

Those residents said they would like to see a 50-metre, standard Olympic-sized pool.

Marta Belsh, the head coach of the Fredericton Aquanaut swim team, said there is a big demand in the city for a larger pool that wouldsatisfy the needs of both competitiveand recreational swimmers.

She said a 50-metre Olympic-sized pool would address those competing demands.

"You'regoing to be able to have a number of user groups at the same time use the facility," Belsh said.

The Aitken Centre pool at the University of New Brunswick is the main facility used right now for competitive swimmers.

But that facility is getting old and it will eventually need its filtration system replaced.

The aging facility is also causing other problems for high-performance athletes.

Danielle Merasty, a national distance swimmer with the UNB swim team, said there is a crowding issue that must also be dealt with in the city.

"We are all swimming in the same spot and it is crowded, practices are going on all over the place," she said.

The city is also planning to invite more public feedback on the pool issue by posting a survey on its website next week.

After the study, the recommendation would have to go through public meetings and then be approved by council.