The local business community wants a few more answers before its membership supports the plunge into a pricey new aquatic centre.
A letter from current Timmins Chamber of Commerce President Jamie Clarke was sent to mayor and council in early December, and was a late addition to Monday's city council agenda.
"With council's recent $1.2 million investment in the final designs, the project will be shovel ready in the coming months, meaning you will soon be in a position to make a final decision around whether or not to proceed with construction. While council has previously established that this will not move forward unless there is sufficient financial support from various levels of government and within the community, there remain questions about how this determination will be made," states the letter.
Citing a potential $48 million total price tag, the Chamber requested some target figures tied to the three hypothetical funding sources for the project - corporate and community fundraising, government, and the City of Timmins and its taxpayers.
"In essence, we would ask you to outline the details of the next phase of the plan so that there is a clear and detailed understanding by the public as to the precise process by which the city will explore its approval of the project."
The Chamber also had questions about how this project affects the Timmins 2020 Strategic Plan. Specifically that a new swimming facility was to be incorporated with a central, multi-use facility complete with multiple ice rinks in that plan.
"As discussions about the rising costs of the city's other aging recreational facilities continue, council's intentions toward a broader, long-term recreational strategy should be made clear."
There are no plans for any new ice sheets in the community anytime soon, which has some people concerned, although the existing Archie Dillon Sportsplex arena would be incorporated into the new aquatic and recreational complex.
The letter also revealed that in a recent survey of 120 Chamber members, 58 percent indicated they were not in favour of proceeding with the project, while an eyebrow raising 80 percent of respondents said they would not be willing to make a financial contribution to the project, as they feel they are already paying for the aquatic centre and other initiatives through municipal taxes.
