Recreation centre update

By LINDSEY KEILTY

Many Halifax West-area residents can expect to be quizzed by phone in the coming weeks about the new proposed recreation centre for the mainland common area and Clayton Park region.

According to Halifax Regional Municipality 's manager of facility development Margaret Soley, over the coming weeks, the partnership will be calling more than 1,000 Halifax West and catchment area households and taking statistical data from approximately 400 families to gather opinions concerning indoor recreation, fitness and aquatic programming.

"It's critical research to HRM and to the YMCA for the development of a sound and sustainable business plan," Soley said. "It's really to test the market area between the ages of 20 to 64 for membership services, which will be provided as part of the plan for the proposed facility."

The telephone survey area includes Clayton Park, Fairview , Rockingham, Hammonds Plains and some sections of Bedford and outer-lying areas such as Beechville, Lakeside and Timberlea. Households will be questioned at random.

The survey is being conducted by LeisurePlan International Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in planning and market research for recreation, fitness and health related issues and planning.

Soley says the business plan for the project should be completed following this research and prepared to go forward by early December. She also says the hope is to break ground on the new facility by late 2007.

"The facility is going to be owned by HRM, but it's intended that the YMCA will be the operator," she said.

As president and CEO of the YMCA Greater Halifax Dartmouth, Bette Watson-Borg says this type of research has been helpful in the planning stages for many other Canadian YMCAs.

"This it tried and true research," she said. "What we're hoping to learn is the receptivity of our adult market to the proposed facilities and services we plan to offer, as well where the price sensitivities are in the catchment area."

Watson-Borg says the statistics will also help estimate cash-flow projections for the project.

The community-based recreation centre will include both dry-land and aquatic environments and programs.

"Hopefully people will be able to find something that really interests them," she said. "We're really excited in terms of the potential programming opportunities for the citizens of this part of the municipality. We're looking at designing services for a huge age range and it's not without its challenges."

"We want to make this facility accessible to a very wide range of ages, backgrounds, interests and abilities."