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Facility talks top third neighbourhood planning meeting

Mar 21, 2018 | 10:00 AM

A number of questions surfaced during the city’s third neighbourhood planning meeting, but one stuck out above them all; what’s on the horizon for new recreational facilities in Prince Albert?

Two facilities, in particular, came under the microscope. The first was a new indoor water facility, which surveys have shown is top of mind for locals. Many of the residents packed inside the Princess Margaret School gymnasium Tuesday night pointed to Melfort’s Water Palace as an example the city should follow. City council recently dove head first into an aquatic debate, voting to financially back Marion Aquatics and help keep the facility afloat for the next three years, citing a growing demand for access. The city has also invested $1.5 million into the much-anticipated overhaul of the Kinsmen Water Park, which is set to open this June.

The other facility which was brought up numerous times at the planning meeting was the aging Art Hauser Centre. 

“We need to make a city that is proud of our facilities,” one resident said, comparing Prince Albert to Martensville and Saskatoon, where a report recently recommend a new downtown joint-use area to replace the SaskTel Centre and TCU Place. The SaskTel Centre opened in 1988 and TCU in 1968, while the Art Hauser Centre, formerly known as the Prince Albert Communiplex, opened in 1971.

City Manager Jim Toye agreed many of the buildings were “getting a little bit long in the tooth,” but said the city has a lot on its plate right now, including massive upgrades on century-old water and sewer works.

“There is a vision to have a new aquatic centre and a new arena,” Toye told paNOW after the meeting. “When that is going to be? That is still in the stars.”

Toye said the city boasts excellent cultural facilities, with buildings like the E.A Rawlinson Centre, and has also made recent investments in fastball and softball diamonds, as well as tennis and volleyball courts. He said within the next year or so, he expects to get some direction from city council on how far it wants to go on exploring these ideas. Toye said conversations about funding have taken place between council and both levels of government, noting the city could not build without help from Regina and Ottawa.

The other hurdle, Toye said, boils down to funding the new operations. Currently, he noted, most facilities are subsidized to the tune of 50 per cent.

“We are getting a little bit better. We are taking less and less from taxation. It used to be 70 per cent,” Toye said. “We are trying to move to 40 and 30.”

He said the city has to remain focused on the future, saying it has finally got a grip on costly underground repairs and can now start to talk about what else is needed moving forward.

“There are a lot of balls in the air on this, and it is important that we get what the priority is from council,” he said, noting a new police station and fire hall are also on the list of things that need to be built.

“We have some great teams here and they deserve that facility,” he said. “Our residents and people from the area deserve a better facility to watch a hockey game and go to an indoor pool instead of going to Melfort.”

Coun. Don Cody seconded calls for new facilities but urged caution on big-ticket items. 

“They are not $2 or $3 million dollars anymore. They are $40 and $50 [million],” he said.

Cody also voiced trepidation over the financial future of the province. He said the city continues to struggle from funding avenues cut off in 2017 and pointed to the provincial budget coming April 10, warning the city could see another cut.

“We want to be somewhat careful but, at the same time, we want to do what the people want us to do and still hold the taxes where it is reasonable,” he said.

The final neighbourhood planning meeting takes place tonight at 6 p.m. at Parkland Community Hall.

 

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr