Today’s groundbreaking for Ottawa’s newest indoor pool brings Ottawa’s east end residents one step closer to having a much needed recreation facility.

“This is the first indoor pool the City has built since amalgamation and I couldn’t be happier,” said Cumberland Councillor Stephen Blais. “The east end is on the rise with strategic investments such as this much needed multi-purpose family recreational facility.”

Funded entirely by the City, the new pool will be located at 2263 Portobello Boulevard, at the south east corner of Brian Coburn Boulevard and Portobello. It is scheduled to open January 2013.

“The City of Ottawa is committed to ensuring all of our residents are able to participate in recreational activities and programs within their own communities,” said Mayor Jim Watson. “There has been much growth and development in Cumberland, and I am pleased that this project will help to meet the needs of this community.”

The new $18 million facility will include a 25 metre six lane main pool, a leisure pool, a sauna as well as a multi-purpose room and fitness centre. Both pools will be fully accessible with a sloped ramp on the 25 metre pool and a beach entry for the leisure pool.

The building will be built to LEED silver certified standards, incorporating a wide range of sustainable design features that will reduce energy consumption, use of natural resources, and the impact on the environment.

Local artist Jennifer Stead was acknowledged as the winner of the Public Art Programs’ competition for the east pool facility project. Her work will consist of laser-cut aluminum panels spanning the length of the interior window that separates the pool area from the foyer. The design will incorporate shifting vantage points and contrasting open and dark areas to compliment the bright open space of the pool while referencing the apparent weightlessness of water. Installation will occur shortly after the facility is completed.