Facility talks top third neighbourhood planning meeting
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.