The people pushing for a pool in Aldergrove aren鈥檛 prepared to accept a partial victory, according to Joanne Nicolato, the chair and founder of the 116-member Aldergrove Recreation and Pool Society, the group that launched the campaign to build a pool.

The preliminary design for the pool, part of a new recreation centre approved by the Township, calls for six 25-metre 鈥渟hort course鈥� lanes without a dive tank (deep end), rather than the 50-metre, eight-lane 鈥渓ong course鈥� swimming pool Nicolato says most residents favour.

鈥淥verwhelmingly, everyone says they want a bigger pool,鈥� Nicolato told The Times.

The full-size pool also has the support of Karen Bennett, the Fraser Valley regional director of the BC Summer Swimming Association, who has written a letter saying an 鈥渙ptimum鈥� facility would have a 50-metre pool with eight lanes that includes a dive tank and a moveable bottom that would support a 2.5 metre depth for the whole pool.

鈥淭his would support the potential to host provincial championships for our organization, not to mention other groups that are always looking for competition pools including Swim BC, Water Polo BC, BC Diving, as well as Canadian organizations like Water Polo Canada, Diving  Canada, and Swimming Canada,鈥� Bennett said.

Nicolato (pictured below) believes a long course pool would allow the new rec centre to host major swim meets and diving competitions that would attract visitors 鈥� and their dollars 鈥� to the area.

鈥淧otentially it could bring a lot of money in.鈥�

She worries that Township planners are giving more attention to hockey, simply because there already is an existing arena in the area.

鈥淵ou have a hockey community [in Aldergrove],鈥� Nicolato said.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have a swim community because you really don鈥檛 have a pool.鈥�

She believes the 25-metre pool simply won鈥檛 be big enough, and fixing that mistake later on won鈥檛 be cheap.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 make a pool bigger without substantial cost,鈥� Nicolato said.

鈥淚t needs to be for 20 years from now, not yesterday.鈥�

For 12 years, the long-time Aldergrove resident has been taking her three kids outside their community for swimming and water polo, going as far away as Haney and Vancouver.

She promises the society will continue to lobby the Township for a full-size pool.

鈥淚t could be the jewel [of a] rec centre. If they do it right.鈥�

The preliminary designs for the site of the former Aldergrove Elementary school site at Fraser Highway and 270 Street were presented to 91原创 Township council Feb. 4 with the final report of the standing committee on the Aldergrove community centre.

The next step will be a report by Township staff in April that will set out the 鈥渕ilestone dates鈥� for the project.

If council approves the proposed schedule, the next step will come 60 to 90 days later with the selection and hiring of an architect and the start of actual design work.

If everything goes according to plan, the new facility could open in 2015.

91原创 Township council earlier approved the controversial sale of Township-owned land in Glen Valley to help fund the new community centre, swimming pool and ice rink in Aldergrove.

While the Township waits for the sales, it will use money from surplus funds and reserves, as well as short-term borrowing 鈥渙f less than five years鈥� to fund construction of the Aldergrove Community Centre.