Calgary city council asked to approve ambitious plan for new recreation facilities

It’s called ‘GamePLAN’ — an ambitious, 25-year program to physique much recreation facilities successful the city. But, it comes with a dense terms — betwixt $200 cardinal and $250 million.

On Thursday, members of Calgary metropolis council’s assemblage improvement committee approved it successful a unanimous vote.

The ballot took spot pursuing a nationalist proceeding successful which dozens of athletes, coaches and different residents lined up to dependable their support.

“The benefits, the outcomes that you person from a robust recreation landscape, spell acold beyond simply access, it’s besides intelligence health,” said Councilor Courtney Walcott, pursuing the vote.

The committee members were presented with 3 options to take from:

1. “Going under” would supply nary further dedicated funding, but warned determination would beryllium “a stark diminution successful service” implicit the adjacent 25 years with older facilities forced to close, important impacts connected programme availability, peculiarly successful caller communities.
2. “Staying afloat” would outgo betwixt $100 cardinal and $150 cardinal per twelvemonth and would people concern successful caller communities and repairs to facilities successful established areas. It would not, however, support gait with colonisation growth.
3. “Making waves” would outgo betwixt $200 cardinal and $250 cardinal and would let the metropolis to support gait with colonisation maturation and supply an “equitable level of service” successful some caller and established communities.

After proceeding from the public, the committee chose the “making waves” option.

The program claims caller recreational facilities are needed due to the fact that 70 per cent of the nationalist recreation facilities successful the metropolis were built much than 35 years agone and galore of them are costly to support and run oregon are nearing the extremity of their life.

Among the problems it says the metropolis is already facing is simply a shortage of abstraction for swimming lessons and a shortage of fields for sports similar soccer.

“Calgary’s recreation strategy isn’t measuring up to service the assemblage you spot here,” said Heather Johnson, manager of recreation for the City of Calgary.

“You mightiness wonder, however did this happen? Well it didn’t hap overnight. The problems we’re facing person been gathering implicit decades,” added Johnson.

The program volition present beryllium tabled astatine a afloat metropolis assembly gathering for debate.

If approved the metropolis volition person until the outpouring of 2026 to travel up with a database of projects it wants to prioritize.