The Town of Swan River Council is holding a Special Meeting in its chambers tonight at 7:30, to go over the town Borrowing Bylaw.
Residents will get the chance to have their input, as the town looks to make upgrades to the Centennial Arena. CAO Derek Poole says this is just a step in the process, and its approval doesn't mean the work will go forward just yet.
"We are proposing to borrow 2.7 million dollars, and what this Bylaw does is allow the town to borrow up to that amount. So it doesn't mean that we are going to go ahead with the project even, it means that it allows us to borrow up to that in the case we move ahead with the project."
The total project is expected to be quite a bit bigger than that however, and Poole says work needs to be done to the Ice Lab, the HVAC systems, roofing, exterior cladding, and some structural and refrigeration architectural repairs.
"The cost of the project is estimated at 7.5 million dollars. The town has applied for an arts culture, sport, and community grant from the province so we're waiting to hear that. We're also contributing monies from our Community Building Fund, and Building Sustainable Communities Fund."
Poole says the Arena is such an important part of any rural Manitoba community, and that's why its important that the work gets done before it's too late.
"We have an MJHL team that operates out of the building. Several under 15, under 13 teams, minor hockey program is run out of it. There's a lot of community programs that use the facility, it's definitely considered a central point."