The shovel will go into the ground by the end of September to begin construction on Grande Prairie’s Aquatics and Wellness Multiplex.

Council Committee of the Whole, acting as the Aquatic Steering Committee, gave the green light today to the project proceeding to tender on July 28 after seeing the latest construction drawings. Tenders for the almost $90-million project will be reviewed Sept. 1.

“This is a great day for Grande Prairie,” says Mayor Dwight Logan. “This venue will accommodate regional recreation and wellness facility needs and be an exciting attraction for visitors. We have had a tremendous amount of interest and positive feedback, so it is time to move ahead with this project.”

Felix Seiler, Community Development Co-ordinator, says the project was a hit at the June 18 Municipal Government Day with more than 300 residents giving the multiplex a thumbs up.

“The overwhelming reaction from the public has been, ‘let’s get it built, we want to see it built.’”

Seiler expects initial foundation work to begin this fall with work continuing through the winter, enabling the project to be complete by the end of December, 2010. An open house is being planned for the end of August.

The multiplex will be built at the Community Knowledge Campus on 68^th Avenue and Wapiti Road, filling in the space between the Coca-Cola Centre, St. Joe’s High School and the Gymnastics facility.

Planned highlights include a 54-metre pool, a 25-metre program pool, a Flow Rider surfing attraction, a water park, including an adventure river feature, water slides, a five-metre dive tower, springboard diving, four squash courts, a multipurpose field house, a fitness area, a restaurant, a running track, an RCMP office and several leasable spaces suitable for retail, food services or paramedical practitioners.