South Winnipeg Recreation Initiative UPDATE

On November 25, 2015, City Council unanimously approved the next steps towards the development of a new South Winnipeg Recreation Complex. For details, please refer to the summary below.
Early in the new year, YOU (the community) will be invited to attend open houses and provide input on what you would like to see incorporated into the development of a new South Winnipeg recreation complex and to also provide input on uses of the existing Waverley Heights and Richmond Kings Community Centres.
When dates and details of the upcoming open houses are finalized, they will be widely publicized. Community feedback will be collected and used to develop a concept design and price tag for a new South Winnipeg Recreation Complex, as well as potential uses of existing community centres. Then, this concept will be presented back to the community again for additional input.
At the same time this process is occurring:
- The City is initiating a planning process to occur on the lands in Waverley West to address servicing needs (roads, sewer and water, etc.)
- Funding discussions will be occurring with all levels of government and potential private investors
What is the timeframe to completion? There are many many variables, and securing funding is key. Optimistically, it will take 5+ years to develop a recreation complex to meet the needs of growing South Winnipeg.
On November 25, 2015, City Council unanimously approved:
- That the South Winnipeg Recreation Initiative, Final Report by Braid Solutions Inc. be received as information.
- That the Chief Administrative Officer be requested to coordinate participation of all relevant City of Winnipeg departments involved in the South Winnipeg Recreation Initiative with community stakeholders, to confirm community recreation needs and community engagement strategies, and explore governance model options including fee-for-service delivery models and private fundraising opportunities.
- That the Public Service be directed to investigate potential partnerships and stakeholder collaboration required for the implementation of a recreation campus in Waverley West Area B and report back to Council with the results of such discussions.
- That $350,000 from the 2014 “Recreation Facility Replacement – New Infrastructure” capital program budget be allocated for:
- Conceptual site planning to be jointly initiated by the Planning, Property and Development and Community Services Departments;
- A Secondary Planning process to be initiated by Planning, Property and Development, and;
- Consultant support to coordinate key stakeholders collaborating in the development of a conceptual site plan and partnership agreement.
- That funding required to enable the acquisition of land for the proposed recreation campus be referred to the 2016 Capital Budget and 2017 to 2021 Five-Year Forecast process.
For more information, see the entire South Winnipeg Recreation Initiative report
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