After years of planning, the Pierrefonds-Roxboro Aquatic Complex has officially been inaugurated. Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada is calling it the largest indoor facility of its kind in the West Island of Montreal. The centre has a lap pool, two splash pools and a waterslide, as well as activity rooms. It took three years to build, but much longer to plan. Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough Mayor Jim Beis has pushed for the project for a decade. “For 10 years. Yes, I may have started working on this, but for decades the community has been rallying to have this type of infrastructure and installment in our community,” he said. Located at 13705 Pierrefonds Blvd., the aquatic centre is near the library, public transit, and a bike path. The community hub cost $73 million. Of that, $7.5 million came from the provincial government, with the rest funded by Montreal, Martinez Ferrada said. “Soon, children will learn to swim here. Families will spend time together here. Young athletes will train and people of all ages will have a place to stay active and reconnect to their community,” the mayor said. She added that boroughs such as Pierrefonds-Roxboro and L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève have been underserved when it comes to sports centres. “To make sure that all citizens in every borough of our city and every neighbourhood have access to the same services as the city in sports, in culture, in libraries,” Martinez Ferrada said. The site will be ready to welcome West Islanders starting in November. In the meantime, staff still need to be hired, Beis said. “We have to make sure that we have the operational aspects already defined. We have our staff that will be assuming that role, making sure that all the equipment is in place for them to be able to get that, you know, in control before we can open it to the public.” Martinez Ferrada said other underserved communities in Montreal will be given priority starting next year. “We are going to invest is making sure that we’re giving the neighborhoods that don’t have the service that they need. We prioritize those sectors,” she added.
