On Monday night, Council members voted to agree to a funding formula presented which would see Grimsby contribute $3.06 million of capital funding, pending several conditions. The town will discuss ways to fund the cost at an upcoming Administration and Finance meeting.

YMCA Niagara CEO Steve Butz, during a delegation at Council Monday, unveiled the proposed municipal contributions for the project. Based on the "fair share" of total response from its market research study, Butz said their funding formula would equate to $3.06 million from the Town of Grimsby, $2.1 million from the Town of Lincoln and $840,000 from the Township of West Lincoln. The funding by each municipality would be paid over a four-year period. The total is $6 million of $18 million needed for initial construction, including land acquisition. A further $28 million investment to ensure operational viability would be covered by the YMCA.

"We acknowledge $3 million is a lot of money, but would encourage you to consider the broader context as demonstrated here," said Butz. "Grimsby's contribution would represent about 6.6 per cent of the total project cost - the remaining 93 per cent of the risk is absorbed by the YMCA and our other project partners. Every dollar you put in, someone else puts in $15."

All but one aldermen showed their support for the funding, despite seeing the proposed contribution for the first time at council.

"This is an opportunity for our municipality and others to jump on board," said Ald. Steve Berry. "If we pass this up, the community may not see a facility like this in a long time."

Ald. Wayne Fertich said a one-time fee to have a facility like this for Grimsby residents, is "top notch".

"Three million dollars as far as I'm concerned is a far cry from what we've been looking to do the past 30 years - which is putting in an aquatic facility," said Fertich. "Let's get on with it please."

Ald. Nick DiFlavio expressed his support for the facility, but questioned the formula for the contributions.

"It seems like the people of Grimsby are being penalized for being excited about the Y," said DiFlavio, adding he feels they should have looked at utilizing a formula that used population numbers.

Butz said it was a challenge to determine the formula, but based on the "specific and structured" market research, they feel the funding formula represents "fairness, equality and relevance" to the support shown.

"We think a $3 million investment for the community is a great investment," Butz said.

Ald. Nick Andreychuk said he felt the additional $1 million the Town of Grimsby was being asked for compared to Lincoln, could be tied to the fact the facility was proposed to be located in the town, around the Bartlett Avenue and QEW corridor. He said the town shouldn't be committing to funding the $3.1 million without in depth conversation at Finance and Administration Committee.

"I feel it's premature to say we're committed to $3 million," he said. "If it were at $2 million, $2 million, and $2 million (split among the municipalities) I probably wouldn't be commenting."

Ald. John Cruickshank noted, however, the commitment is "in principle" and includes a lot of "ifs" in terms of conditions. Among them are selection of a site in the preferred area , commitment of other government funding, and confirmation of the potential of a community capital campaign, a process that will be done by the YMCA in early 2009.

"I say we approve it tonight and figure out where we can find the money at the next Administration and Finance Committee meeting," said Cruickshank.

All Council members, with the exception of Andreychuk, voted in favour of showing commitment to the funding, pending the conditions mentioned being met.

Butz noted the $3.06 million is an "up-set limit" and the town could see a reduction should the project benefit from savings in areas such as lower construction prices, or greater success in a capital campaign or government contributions.

He said the funding formula would also change should the site location change, but noted they are already working to secure land in the Bartlett Avenue area.

"We're working with a number of different options, one of which could include working with the Region of Niagara on property they have," said Butz.

With Grimsby on board, Butz will now move on to presenting at Councils in Lincoln and West Lincoln in the coming weeks. The support of all three municipalities is critical, he said, to ensure there is a strong platform moving ahead.