Photo courtesy AECOM Engineering/Ted Wilson Architect

Plans for the new aquatic facility at the Gravenhurst Centennial Centre.

The governments of Canada and Ontario have pledged up to $6.1 million each for a $18.52-million expansion of the Centennial Centre in Gravenhurst, Ont., which will include a new aquatic facility.

The project, expected to start this fall, will add an eight-lane, 25-metre swimming pool, therapeutic pool and kids' splash zone to the centre. Construction must be substantially completed by March 2011 to meet funding guidelines. The Town of Gravenhurst will cover any remaining costs.

The barrier-free facility will incorporate LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) principles to reduce operating costs, with the Red Cross providing a safety review of the aquatic facility concept plan.

The application for funding was filed with Building Canada Fund's (BCF) Communities Component (CC), an $8.8-billion reserve intended to strengthen the economy, clean up the environment and improve communities. The CC targets projects in communities with populations of less than 100,000, providing funds for building large facilities or complexes whose primary focus is sports and/or physical activity.