Mainland rec centre gets the OK

Many disappointed that facility won’t have a 50-metre pool

By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE Staff Reporter

Halifax regional council Tuesday unanimously approved development of the city’s planned recreation and sports complex known as Mainland Common Centre.

The approval means construction on the $40.5-million project can begin this fall. Cost of the site is to be covered by the three levels of government and community fundraising.

Councillors heard the new community centre will offer high-performance athletes a place to train and be an integral part of the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax Regional Municipality.

Councillors were also told that it will go a long way to addressing the need for much-improved sports infrastructure in this region.

Tuesday’s endorsement, made at council’s session of committee of the whole, included $1 million for upgrades at Centennial Pool in downtown Halifax. It also bumped up the budget for consulting fees for the project to just under $2 million.

Building Mainland Common Centre means aging Northcliffe Centre in Halifax will eventually be shut down, a municipal staff report says, and its closure will be "concurrent with the opening of the new facility."

Staff said the city had to act quickly to get the new site ready for the Canada Winter Games. Any delay at this point, councillors were told, would jeopardize the municipality’s position with respect to the national event.

The recreation and sports centre is to include such amenities as swimming pools, an indoor running track, a fitness centre, meeting rooms and gym space for sports like basketball, volleyball and badminton.

Although the politicians trumpeted all components of the project, most of the debate at city hall focused on a planned aquatics centre.

Council was presented with a 7,000-name petition from a citizens group that’s been pushing hard for a 50-metre swimming pool; the new sports palace includes two 25-metre pools.

The Build It Right committee feels the proposed aquatic centre is undersized, spokeswoman Kelly Atkins told the committee of the whole. She said as it stands, the centre won’t be able to host any world-class swimming competitions.

David Rickard, an architect associated with the Mainland Common Centre proposal, said changing blueprints to accommodate a 50-metre pool would add more than $5 million to the project.

At one point during the debate, Coun. Debbie Hum (Rockingham-Wentworth), a vocal champion of the centre, took Ms. Atkins to task and fired a series of questions at her after the woman made a presentation to regional council.

But Mayor Peter Kelly steered the talk back to the future, with instructions for the councillor — and others — to stick to the proposal on the floor and not rehash past arguments.

Councillors were told a 50-metre swimming pool could be built years down the road, as part of the city’s recreation facility master plan. There are two such pools already in the municipality.

"If somebody wants to build a 50-metre pool off to the side of this in the future, then that’s clearly an option and can be done," said Coun. Andrew Younger (East Dartmouth-The Lakes).

Municipal staff said membership dues and other fees charged at the new centre will be on par with other city-owned sites, such as Cole Harbour Place and the Dartmouth Sportsplex.

This worried Coun. Gloria McCluskey (Dartmouth Centre), who said such user fees would essentially shut out metro’s underprivileged families.