Public services meeting on Monday to discuss parks plan

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on January 29, 2022.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

The city’s public services committee will hold a special meeting Monday to discuss the long-anticipated parks and recreation masterplan.

The report’s writing coincided with the fall election and a controversial decision to keep two rec facilities closed, though that decision has been since reversed.

“Normally we would be discussing it at a (regular) meeting,” said committee chair, Coun. Ramona Robins at the committee’s meeting on Monday. “But it could take several hours with other items and we want to focus on it.”

The special meeting will begin at 3 p.m. on Jan. 31 in the city hall’s main boardroom, which has severely limited capacity due to current health restrictions.

Some city councillors from both this term and last have stressed they would prefer to have a replacement or long-term maintenance plan in place for aging facilities before deciding to close rinks, pools or fitness facilities.

Following community consultations in the summer and fall, officials with the department stated they had an overview of community consultations and had initial projects in mind, options would only be presented to council following a more technical study by administrators to determine costs of building options.

Councillors voted in late December to allot $600,000 in additional operational funding from a city reserve account, and as well spend $1.2 million from an infrastructure reserve to replace the ice slab at the Moose Rec Centre this summer.

The other facility in question, the Crestwood pool and fitness centre, could be open in February, administrators said recently.