Will a south-end recreation centre finally happen? Medicine Hat councillor says ‘yes’

The estimated cost for the new facility was between $55 million to $70 million, according to the report.

That same report found that recreation facilities were “cannibalizing the availability of members amongst themselves” with the 2016 expansion of the Big Marble Go Centre.

However, as older facilities close, a larger recreation complex could meet a decreased supply and is more economical than maintaining several smaller facilities, the report said.

Council in October created a shortlist of its strategic plan goals that included the rec centre.

On Monday, council approved an action plan for that shortlist, including the preliminary steps council would be required to take to build the facility.

When asked by reporters if council would approve a blueprint that is scheduled to come forward in early 2025, Coun. Shila Sharps kept her answer short.

“Yes, I do,” Sharps said.

“The city manager understood this council’s urgency with getting this moving in the right direction for the next council and just for our public in general,” Sharps added.

“They need to know what’s happening with it. So I know that there’s been conversations. It’s just time to move that forward in the right direction.”

One of the barriers to getting such a project done was the power grid, Sharps explained.

“So not having power in the south is a bit of a problem. You can’t plan a rec facility with no power,” she said.

Administration will return to council with a “scope and vision” for the rec centre during the first quarter of 2025.

City council will be required to approve a preferred site for construction and give the city permission to purchase the land, as well as ensure the site has no other future plans and, if so, negotiate alternative arrangements.

That’s also when the council will be presented with potential facility costs and any funding partners, such as the Alberta government.

Coun. Allison Knodel acknowledged such a multi-use facility would be one of if not the largest construction project in the city’s history — and would come with a big price tag.

“Opportunity costs, so if we’re going to make a decision that costs the community a number that is close to $100 million, there’s going to be there’s going to be risk with that,” Knodel told reporters after Monday’s meeting.

“We are hearing from the community that we need this facility, but there’s different levels of need.”

Knodel has told CHAT News in the past that she looks at projects like the rec centre through the lens of a hierarchy of needs — comparing survival to entertainment, for example.

“In my perspective, we talk about food and shelter, and that is a basic need, that’s a human survival need,” she said.

“But recreation and the social needs of the community are also valid, but need to be considered in a way that is different and more thoughtful. And that’s why I think this process has taken a little bit longer as well as, you know, the question was asked.”

Eric Springman, currently an active real estate agent in Medicine Hat, was part of the Southridge association that launched about 25 years ago.

Its members wanted more out of a proposal for a water park in Medicine Hat, asking for a swimming pool and other amenities as well.

While the group is no longer active, the city finally moving towards building a rec centre is good news, he said.

“It’s still a win,” Springman told CHAT News on Tuesday.

“The south side carries probably the majority of the population in this city, so a swimming facility would be a real plus for the area and I think it would be well-used.”

by Eli J. Ridder

Will a south-end recreation centre finally happen? Medicine Hat councillor says ‘yes’

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