Council passed a motion on Sept. 17 which approved the implementation of a strategic planning study to outline options for a future indoor recreation facility.
“As a new council I look forward to having input into this process, to have that conversation about our needs and how we move forward,” Mayor Marshall Chalmers said.
“Recreation is very important to this community. We need to get it right,” he added.
“It’s important to understand what our local needs, challenges, opportunities and our priorities are because there are a lot of choices to be made in recreation,” said Parks and Recreation Manager of Community Operations Kathy Russell.
The current recreational facility opened nearly four decades ago, and the community will need a replacement in the future.
“We can’t assume that the operation of the current rec centre will continue indefinitely,” Russell said.
When looking into what a new recreational facility would mean for the community, city administration used a previously conducted feasibility study, from 2015. However, some of the information from the studies needs to be updated.
“The important point is that we should be building on these previous reports, not duplicating,” Russell said.
The previous study showed that Chestermere residents felt as though travel time was the largest barrier in participating in recreational activities followed by poor and inadequate facilities.
“The top two highest barriers are still very real in Chestermere, that really hasn’t changed,” Russell said.
“Research in other communities show that having a local facility lends to a sense of community, sense of place, and a gathering place,” she added. “At some point in time, it is a really important amenity to have.”
From the previous study, 82 per cent of residents were strongly or somewhat in support of a new multiplex, while 75 per cent of residents were very likely or somewhat likely to use the new recreation centre.
A consultant looked at regional facilities already in place to research what was available, and what would make sense in Chestermere, based on population trends, and growth projections.
However, additional work is required to build upon the previous study moving forward.
“There is a need to provide this council with an opportunity to revisit and revise priorities and to establish a vision for recreation,” Russell said.
“Without a vision, it’s really difficult to set priorities, a vision for recreation is a guiding light that really directs what type of programming ultimately is provided in our community,” she added.
There are multiple phases to creating a new recreational facility in Chestermere.
The first is a visioning session with council, which speaks to the philosophical understanding of what city administration thinks recreation should be for the community and outcomes.
Next, city administration will look at the need’s assessment and programs list, and then begin phasing analysis.
“It’s not the needs stated by the community. We have done a lot of needs assessments in the community in terms of what their priorities are,” Russell said.
“It’s really balancing at what the community needs, what we can afford, and finding the sweet stop in terms of what are the right types of spaces and facilities based on our population size and our operating cost,” she added.
Chestermere Councillor Yvette Wagner does not agree
that it is the right time to begin work on the future recreation facility.
“I’m not in support of this. I feel like we’re going to have another report in four years that costs $50,000 that needs to be redone,” Wagner said.
“I don’t think we’re ready to start building a recreation facility when we don’t have needs met for our seniors or transportation,” she added.
Recreational opportunities have been discussed with Chestermere’s regional partners, the rec centre, and user groups which involved very detailed discussions with user groups about what they need, and how the facility would be used.
“We’re operating under that what we thought was a clear direction that recreation was a top priority for council,” said Chestermere Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Bernie Morton.
“Based on community engagement about what the community wants, as opposed to what we can afford, how we can program it, and how we can make it operational, you run the risk of overbuilding,” he said.
Adding, “There is a significant danger in that because then you’re going to be paying for something that you can’t necessarily program effectively.”
