Bids to tear down the now deserted Big Hill Pool closed yesterday at noon and among them was one seeking to gut the interior and repurpose the building.

Centcom Construction Ltd. has submitted a proposal they estimate would cost an estimated $2,161, 080 to gut and redevelop the interior of the 15,000 sq. ft. building so it continue to be used by the community.

The interior demolition woud cost $75,000. Without a plan to work from, the rest of the numbers are guidelines.. They include estimates for restoring interior to level slab with new concrete slab on grade, developing ground level of 10,600 sq. ft.; developing the 5,000 sq. ft. mezzanine level, mechanical, electrical and design.

"After the pre-tender site visit and some subsequent communication, I can’t see why this building cannot be reused for another purpose," states company president Chris Craig in the proposal. "Fundamentally, the structure is sound. I am of a firm belief, the existing pool building can be reutilized. I would be more than pleased to offer my services to work with the Town of Cochrane and an architect to develop a design to reuse the existing building."

While the request for tender largely sought bids to demolition the entire building, it also left the door open to other alternatives, an avenue taken by Centcom Construction.

Should the town want to explore the opportunity, he recommended shutting off the existing utilities until a design or plan is formulated.

Cochrane developer Ken Blair has been questioning why the building is being levelled when there is so much need for public facilities in town and believes spending nearly $800,000 to tear it down lacks common sense.

He believes the decision was made without any public consultation and questions the transparency on the issue.

"Why the rush? They could turn off the gas, turn off the electricity and water and have a public discussion, a forum, to listen to suggestions on what it could be used for."

In the town's tender package, it states the town reserves the right to cancel a request for proposal in its entirety if all qualified bids exceed the town’s allocated budgets or if the scope of the town’s requirements change.

Town councillor Morgan Nagel had previously suggested the town seek proposals for repurpose the building but gained no support from other town councillors.

"If there's no contract signed before the next council gets together, there may be the opportunity to put that decisin on hold for now," he said just prior to the election. "I don't know what could be there, maybe bulldozing is the best option, but we should see what all the options are before we make that call."

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Blair says Demolishing Old Pool is a Big Waste of Money