Image Credit: CFJC Today

By James Peters

Recreation Plan

Draft recreation plan calls for three more ice sheets, better leisure swimming options in Kamloops

Sep 17, 2019 | 4:40 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops councillors got a tour through a new draft Recreation Master Plan for the city at a Committee of the Whole meeting this morning.

The plan looks at what recreation and leisure opportunities the City does provide, and where there are needs in Kamloops.

Consultant Stephen Slawuta of Edmonton-based RC Strategies and PERC says his studies and community feedback show the city’s ice sheets are over-subscribed, and Kamloops could use more.

“To bring your prime time — which is kind of those peak evening and weekend hours during the September-to-March season — to about 85 per cent from over 100 per cent, where it is right now, you probably need at least three incremental sheets of ice to be developed.”

Slawuta says many communities talk about needing more arena ice, but in Kamloops, it’s very true.

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“We often hear that when we work in communities and the data doesn’t bear that out. But in this case, your facilities are at, or in a lot of cases, over capacity. That would suggest that there is a bit of a need to increase the provision of ice.”

Slawuta added the city could also use more and better options for drop-in, recreational aquatics.

“The one gap would be what we call ‘leisure aquatics’. That’s things like play aquatics, drop-in family-type aquatics opportunities. That did emerge as a bit of a gap in terms of what you have for water space now and what there might be a little bit of a gap regarding.”

The master plan will go out to the community for further consultation before council eventually finalizes it.