Open house looks at potential indoor recreation facility

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/06/2011 (5514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A recent open house gave Transcona residents a better idea of what a potential indoor recreation facility in the area could look like.

Around 100 residents attended the June 15 information meeting at the Canad Inns hotel on Regent Avenue.

Representatives were available to answer questions about the Transcona Recreation and Leisure Village being proposed for the Roland Michener Arena and Centennial Pool sites near Wabasha  Street and Kildare Avenue East, at an estimated cost of $20-$25 million.

The plan calls for a new recreation and leisure centre that may include a YW-YMCA, new indoor pool, a 55+ complex, and moving the Transcona Library from its current location on Victoria Avenue West.

Transcona resident Lorene Schipper said she liked what she saw and heard at the meeting. But she was concerned with the potential of losing some green space if Transcona Stadium is decommissioned and a seniors’ complex is built in its place.

“I like some of it. We should have a new library and new facilities,” she said.

“I’m not crazy about the senior development because they’re taking out the stadium and we lose that green space.”

According to Coun. Russ Wyatt (Transcona), there’s a need for more indoor recreation options in the area.
“The  last time we invested in indoor recreation was around 40 years ago,” said Wyatt. “So we’re coming to the end of the life cycle.”

This is the third public consultation on the issue and the project could still be a few years from fruition.

But Wyatt says that all information will be taken into consideration before a final decision is made.

“We’ll take the feedback from residents and look at finalizing costs and a business plan,” he said.

“Then it comes down to discussion with all the parties involved.”

Longtime area resident Vern Peterson sees the facility as a much needed asset for the area.

“I know we need recreation facilities, because the kids need somewhere to play,” said Peterson. “I’m not against the centre.”

However, he would like to see a different plan for the library.

“We have spent millions on downtown Transcona, to bring people there, and they’re going to move the library,” said Peterson.

“This is not going to be my problem, but the future of the downtown is what I’m concerned with.”

Wyatt said that the library is an older facility, and the new plan will better serve the community.

“We’re proposing a 15,000 sq. ft. facility with extended hours to coincide with the hours of the facility,” he said.

“Similar to what you see with the Cindy Klassen Recreation Centre.”

adrian.alleyne@canstarnews.com