Big Plans for Recreation Campus in South Winnipeg

I’ve been waiting for this report to come forward for months – and expect it will be posted on the City’s website on Friday, November 6, 2015.

City Administration is to provide a full report to Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development with respect to the process for undertaking a regional community recreation campus feasibility study, in the context of the 2013 YMCA-YWCA budget approval and business plan including, without limitation:

1. human resources required;
2. financial resources required;
3. land consolidation / in-kind contributions required; and
4. partnership opportunities.

This week’s Sou’Wester Community News contains an informative article (see below) which I encourage you to review.

My column today is to provide you with a brief update on the South Winnipeg Community Recreation Campus, which is in the planning stage of development.  I’m anticipating full details of the South Winnipeg Community Recreation Campus to be made public mid-November.

A recreation campus can contain aquatics (possibly a YM/YWCA), court sports (for pickleball and basketball), sports fields (for soccer, cricket, and ultimate), daycare facilities, programming space, a senior’s centre, exercise facilities (a track and workout equipment), hockey rinks, leisure ice and more.

Ideally, the South Winnipeg Recreation Campus will be located in close proximity to new schools and a new public library, enabling shared services and a continual use of facilities both day and evening.

Preferably, the campus will be located on a main thoroughfare, on a parcel of undeveloped land in the Waverley West area.

Why do we need a recreation campus in south Winnipeg? Richmond Kings and Waverley Heights Community Centres built in the ’70s and ’80s are reaching capacity in delivering programming and recreation services due to the addition of the rapidly growing neighbourhoods of Bridgwater and South Pointe. This rapid growth, combined with a lack of recreation facilities, has now placed south Winnipeg below the City’s targeted “recreation space to population ratio” policy.

Community centre leaders and members of south Winnipeg communities have been discussing the idea of developing a recreation campus since the announcement of the Waverley West initiative.

In 2013, the City engaged a consultant to investigate community interest in a large recreation campus model versus building multiple smaller community centres in neighbourhoods. Key stakeholders provided input; Richmond Kings, Waverley Heights, and St. Norbert Community Centres; Pembina Trails School Division; YM/YWCA; Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Pembina Active Living 55+, to name just a few.

The City report will identify the resources, both human and financial that will be required to build a community recreation campus. Costs of similar facilities in Calgary and Edmonton have been in the $30 million to $40 million price range. Funding and approval of the new model will require Council support to proceed. It’s a large project and will take multiple years to complete, but I know it will be well worth the work and investment.

I encourage you to watch my website www.JaniceLukes.ca, where I will be posting the full report mid-November.

Thank you for your interest in South Winnipeg-St Norbert ward activities.

The Sou’Wester
By: Janice Lukes – South Winnipeg-St. Norbert City Councillor Ward Report
Posted: 10/26/2015 2:30 PM

SUPPLIED PHOTO: The Clareview Community Recreation Centre in Edmonton (pictured) is an example of a recreation campus that gathers multiple types of recreation facilities in one area. A similar campus is currently in the planning stage for south Winnipeg.

Twitter link:  https://janicelukes.ca/?p=3506