from News 91.9
Group concerned over potential shift from recreation centre in Northwest end
Group spokesperson Jeff Reath says he’s ‘disappointed’ to hear the conversation shifting away from a cause they’ve been working on for close to a decade.
Jason Chevrier
News 91,9
Aug 23, 2013 11:50:12 AM
Discussion about the old Moncton High School being re-purposed into a recreational hub isn’t sitting well with a group of citizens hoping to bring a community recreation centre to the northwest part of the city.
Conceptual drawing of the proposed recreational centre at Evergreen Park
Group spokesperson Jeff Reath says he’s ‘disappointed’ to hear the conversation shifting away from a cause they’ve been working on for close to a decade.
Reath points out the east end already has sufficient recreational infrastructure while the northwest doesn’t have anything.
“There’s literally six to ten different things in Moncton East, all within walking distance of the same catchment area that would be utilizing Moncton High School.”
Reath is emphasizing he just wants what’s fair for those living in his part of the city and he doesn’t want the discussion to turn into an ‘us versus them’ battle.
Firm decisions on any of the projects have not been made yet.
personal note - Councillor Shawn Crossman suggested a pool as part of the redevelopment of the old Moncton High site in response to the controversy of the city planning to close the outdoor swimming pool in the east end of the city.
His forward thinking is commendable, but he has opened a can of worms with this proposal. The citizens of northwest Moncton are without significant recreational facilities and have been working on this file for a long time with the civic administration. The current proposal, slated for behind Evergreen Park School is a quite exciting one. Negotiations are still ongoing over what should be included as the major feature for this centre, with the prime possibilities being an indoor tennis centre, a hockey rink and an indoor swimming pool. The citizens committee favours a pool while the city seems to prefer the idea of an indoor tennis facility (presumably because maintenance and operations costs of a tennis facility would be much less than the alternatives).
The future of a northwest recreation facility however now appears to be at risk, partly because the city will need to repurpose the coliseum if a downtown events centre gets built, and also now because of a concern over loss of a major recreational facility in the downtown east end.
There are many things about this situation that could cause considerable discussion and controversy. What does equity really mean? Northwest Moncton is middle to upper middle class while the east end is dominated by lower income families. What are the optics of building a new recreation centre at Evergreen Park while poor children in the east end are left with diminishing recreational options? Is this fair? What about the fact that the residents of the northwest end contribute disproportionately to the city's tax base? Does this count for anything? What about the repurposing of the coliseum? Does this take precedence over either other project? Lots to discuss here.
In the end, the city has to be careful not to bite off more that it can chew. The main priority for the city must remain the downtown events centre. Everything else is secondary. There might not be much money left over for any other worthwhile project in the city. The northwest recreational centre could be pared down. I am personally not convinced about the need for a pool in our neighbourhood. The tennis complex might be sufficient. As for MHS, a recreational centre might be a good idea as part of the repurposing, but other options should be explored, especially as part of a public private partnership. The coliseum will live on as a trade show venue, and I imagine the ice surface will remain as well. In terms of repurposing, I believe they are mostly talking about the upper bowl area and the area where the concessions currently are. I am not sure a pool would work in this space. Perhaps other options would be cheaper......
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