Town treasurer Steven Gruninger said this could be accomplished through a $5 million 15- to 20-year debenture, which would impact the municipal levy by an increase of roughly four to five per cent.

Annual operating costs – estimated at between $150,000 and $190,000– could mean an additional levy increase of up to two per cent, he said.

Gruninger noted that the municipal portion represents one-quarter of property taxes as a whole.

The municipal contribution could also be sourced from gas tax funds, repurposing of town-owned lands and capital fundraising to help lower that impact, said Sweeney. This program also allows for grant-stacking.

Coun. Reg Freake praised the proposal but said the town doesn’t have a great history of project management and has overrun big projects in the past.

Sweeney assured him that the $22 million includes permit fees, soft costs as well as the hiring of an experienced project manager.

“A project of this size really does need someone with expertise and dedicated time,” she agreed.

Coun. Lianne Vardy’s concerns focused primarily on the facility’s operating cost.

It worries her to embark on a venture only to find there’s no money for anything else, she said. “It’s like house-rich and cash-poor, right.”

She suggested more attention be paid to reducing operating costs as well as the town’s capital portion.

Coun. John Dunstall mirrored some of Vardy’s sentiments, reminding council there are other big projects and commitments coming down the pike – the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital, for example.

He suggested the completion date be delayed from the suggestion of 2023 closer to 2027, the year the program stipulates projects must conclude.

While Gruninger seemed amenable to the suggestion, saying a delay could allow the town to phase-in debt payments and lessen the impact on the levy, Sweeney reiterated that this is not a resource needed for down the road. It is needed now.

She said there are programs running in the lobby because there isn’t enough space.