The Heights Pool has been scheduled to be permanently closed as part of budget cuts announced on Monday at city council's meeting.--NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
On Monday night, council agreed to a 2021 budget plan that would keep the Moose Rec centre arena, the Heights outdoor pool and the Crestwood Rec centre closed through the end of 2021.
Those were the only facilities to not reopen from health restrictions this summer and fall as administrators weighted cost benefits of reopening them with reduced demand during the pandemic.
Now, keeping them closed for all of 2021 will contribute an unspecified amount toward the goal of cutting $14 million out of the city’s operating budget.
Coun. Julie Friesen stressed that no final decision has been made on the facility’s future, but hard decisions may have to be made.
“Our priority is to look at a comprehensive master plan for recreation,” said Friesen, referring to an ongoing update of the city’s last rec plan presented in 2011.
“The intent is that after COVD is behind us, there will have to be a hard look at those facilities in terms of usage, budget and planning for the future.
“I don’t love any of this. It’s very hard.”
Coun. Phil Turnbull said the final decision remains to be seen, but the city is facing financial difficulty and needs to consider more efficient delivery of services.
“I’d like to see the (rec master) plan and how we could finance them … but I wouldn’t spend a lot of money to fix older facilities,” he told the News.
The budget plan approved Monday seeks to maintain property tax rates at 2019 levels while addressing a budget gap that will remain at about $8 million due to low business unit and energy dividends.
About 10 per cent of the city’s labour force costs will be cut, and job losses are planned in the 800-person municipal workforce.
Many managers have already determined cost cutting measures for the coming year, said corporate services commissioner Dennis Egert, but council will be asked to certify some decisions.
That includes the recreation plan that could be done in conjunction with Redcliff and Cypress County according to a recently signed pact that promotes combined planning and potential cost sharing.
It will also be done with an emphasis on providing more multi-use facilities and in strategic points, not necessarily on a community basis, according to the latest municipal development plan.
“They may not reopen,” said Egert.
The city’s last recreation master plan led to the expansion of the Family Leisure Centre, where a proposed second ice surface was deleted in favour of dryland training and gym space.
Since then a 2016 report on ice utilization said the current arena system was just meeting demand, but also that the Moose Rec Centre was one of the least expensive facilities to operate in terms of actual dollars.
Mayor Ted Clugston said capital costs and maintenance need to be considered alongside operating costs, and he favours location-based, drive-to centres over community facilities.
“We’re not trying to do one-offs, but figure out what’s the best way to move forward,” he said following council’s meeting.
“Is it better to build new, or perhaps partner with the private sector? It’s not complete yet.”
The facilities are scheduled for upgrades in the city’s current 10-year capital plan, though projects past 2022 are not approved.
Heights Pool is tentatively scheduled for general upgrades, worth about $2 million in 2024, along with a similar project at Hill Pool.
The Crestwood Rec Centre was also slotted that year to undergo “modernization,” initially budgeted at $6 million.
The Moose Rec Centre’s 2026 modernization, worth $1.75 million, appears beside the Hockey Hounds’ $5-million modernization in 2025.
At the Moose, $1.2 million in approved work to replace the ice-slab has been on hold since 2018, while similar work has moved ahead at the Hockey Hounds and Kinplex arenas.
