City approves Recreational Master Plan, Maple Leaf pool funding

Regina city council has voted in favour of some major changes that could help residents get out and get more active. 

The city's Recreational Master Plan was approved Wednesday night. In principle, the plan means Regina could soon get a new outdoor pool and more outdoor trail connections. The plan also calls for better indoor pool capacity in the city, better athletic fields, ball diamonds and spray pads and investment in some outdoor pools and arenas that require significant upgrades.

The Recreational Master Plan is basically a framework for decision making when it comes to recreational services in the coming years.

"The projects come forward, the plan will be used as a guide as the council goes through them," Kim Onrait, executive director of citizen services, said at the council meeting.

The plan also calls for increased quantity and quality of indoor aquatic facilities, picnic sites, accessible playgrounds, cricket pitches, athletic fields and outdoor skateboard parks.

The master plan also recommended reducing the number of some services but increasing the quality of indoor ice arenas, ball diamonds, outdoor tennis courts, basketball courts, outdoor pools and spray pads.

"It really boils down to the affordability moving forward," Onrait said at the meeting.

"I think when you look at the facility plan for our recreational facilities in particular, we have some that are 40 years, 50 years, 60 years old," he said. "The city would not be able to afford to rebuild every single one of these facilities."

But just because the plan was approved, it doesn't mean recreational facilities across the city will get an immediate overhaul. Each project would still require council's blessing—and the attached funding before actually happening. 

"Council will have difficult decisions," Onrait said. "At least there's a framework in place with the plan to have in depth discussions about what is right."

During the debate, an amendment was passed for Mayor Michael Fougere to write to Federal Ministers Ralph Goodale and Francois Champagne and Provincial Minister Warren Kaeding to request they open infrastructure grants for recreational funding requests.

"I think it's election year for the federal government. People want to get elected," Fougere said. "The people have spoken. They want to see some support financially for a strategic master plan on recreation and I think that now is the time to ask the question."

Maple Leaf pool, Wascana pools funding moved forward

The City Council also approved the recommendations surrounding Maple Leaf pool and the Wascana pools. The city will look to a hire someone for the pools' design, a cost estimated around $750,000.

The recommendations looked forward to the 2020 budget and creating a financial plan for the construction of the pools.

The city originally was considering closing Maple Leaf pool, which is located in the Heritage neighbourhood of Regina.

The recommendations also include looking at plan and design with renewable technology including solar heating and power.

Youth focused on outdoor rinks, not video games

One of the four people speaking to council about the Recreational Master plan was nine-year-old Kai Kriekle. He was there on behalf of friends and family to ask council to consider building more outdoor skating rinks.

Kriekle said he lives in The Creeks neighbourhood and has to walk a minimum of 40 minutes to the nearest outdoor skating rink. He had a small one in his backyard but when he and his friends need one bigger they skate on a nearby pond.

"Even though the pond isn't the safest option, the kids from the neighbourhood use it because it's the only big rink we can walk to," he said. 

"Having an outdoor rink in my neighbourhood that we could walk to would mean we could spend more time playing outside and less time playing video games," Kriekle said in the summertime it could be used as a basketball court.

The master plan recommends a three kilometer radius for each home to be close to an outdoor rink. City administration said they recognize there is currently a gap in the eastern area.