A last minute attempt to add to the list of committees in Saugeen Shores did not go over well with council.
Deputy Mayor Luke Charbonneau tabled an amendment as council considered a list of committees for the term of council, seeking to establish an ad-hoc committee to study the future of aquatics in the municipality.
A number of councillors voiced concern at having no prior notice of the amendment, which Charbonneau says he understands, but adds he's attempting to fast track the pool discussion because he wants a plan in place in case government grants become available as we head into a federal election year.
"My greatest fear is a long delay because there's a lot of things happening. We have a federal election coming up, there's likely going to be opportunities for grants from other levels of government sometime in 2015, so we need to move quickly and figure out how to organize ourselves on this," says Charbonneau.
The Port Elgin Centennial Pool was built in 1975 and council has long been warned the critical components are past their life expectancy, but previous Saugeen Shores councils have never reached a consensus on how to move forward.
Mayor Mike Smith says he opposed the formation of a committee because he feels the future of the pool should be discussed entirely at the council table and should not be handed down to a smaller committee, given the multi-million dollar price tag that comes with a renovation or new build.
Charbonneau says he plans to re-table the pool discussion early in the new year, but has not yet decided on how he will go about it.