New rec complex proposed for Kitchener's Schlegel Park to serve growing area of the city
Over all cost of project sits at $144 million but will be paid for through development fees, grants
Changes are planned for one of Kitchener, Ont.'s newest parks as major development is expected to get underway at the RBJ Schlegel Park this spring.
The city has unveiled a proposal to build a new multi-purpose indoor recreation complex that will include a FIFA-sized indoor turf field that can accommodate sports like soccer, cricket and lacrosse.
It will also have an aquatics centre, a second-floor walking track and an indoor cricket batting cage.
The proposal still has to be approved at council on April 8 and if it gets approved, construction could start as early as May.
"It's really about taking the park to the next level with what will be probably the largest and most innovative recreation complex in the City of Kitchener," Mayor Berry Vrbanovic told CBC News, adding the complex will also have the capacity to build a gymnasium in the future.
Vrbanovic said the rec complex's indoor FIFA-sized field will be the only one if its kind in the city and could attract potential competitive games to the region.
City's first net-zero carbon building
RBJ Schlegel Park is in the city's southwest park, an area where there's massive development and growth. Vrbanovic said the complex will not only serve that growing community, but other communities across Kitchener and Waterloo region.
"We're really excited about some of the dialogue and partnerships we've made with Kitchener Soccer and those in the local cricket community because it will also meet their needs," he said.
The new rec complex would also be the city's first net-zero carbon building. It will have geothermal heating and cooling and the largest solar panel in the city, with the aim of reducing 22 tonnes of carbon annually.
Coun. Margaret Johnston said community facilities are one of the of the city's largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
"If we are going to make meaningful progress toward the city's greenhouse gas emission targets, we are going to have to do things differently with our facilities," she said in a release.
Vrbanovic said the overall project will cost $144 million, to be paid through development charges and grants from the federal and provincial governments.