The city's recreation master plan projects at least one or two more ice sheets in the next 3-7 years and four more ice sheets in the next 7-17 years (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

RECREATION MASTER PLAN

Residents indicate more ice sheets, performing arts centre among top priorities in new recreation master plan

Dec 10, 2019 | 9:29 AM

KAMLOOPS — After months of research and public consultation, the city has concluded that an arts centre is the Number 1 priority in the recreation master plan.

More than 1,600 Kamloops residents participated in a survey and an arts centre was at the top of many people’s lists.

“We heard from the public that they want an arts centre in Kamloops,” says recreation, health and wellness supervisor Linda Stride. “As well, when we look at communities that are similar-sized, it is a facility that we are missing in Kamloops.”

The public will weigh in on the arts centre proposal in an Apr. 4, 2020 referendum.

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Also in the recreation master plan, which was approved by council on Tuesday, the public expressed the need for more ice sheets. There are currently six in the city, but many have said it’s not nearly enough.

“There’s very acute demand for ice, say between 3:00 p.m. and midnight at all of our rinks,” says Parks and Civic Facilities Manager Jeff Putnam. “They’re fully booked until midnight. There are some groups going until 12:30, one in the morning.”

According to the recreation master plan, ice facilities are booked up for 91 per cent of available time. During prime-time, it’s at 100 per cent capacity.

Representatives from the Kamloops Women’s Recreational Hockey League say that since the Ice Box closed in 2016, the number of players has been cut in half with unsustainable ice times.

The Kamloops Minor Hockey Association, on the other hand, often receives the prime-time slots. But even it says there is a severe lack of ice sheets in Kamloops, especially with the growing number of kids wanting to try out the game.

“We’re sitting right now with about 88 teams this year. Significant growth has happened in the initiation and novice programs, the younger groups,” says chair of the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association Cam Rubel. “Obviously, we’re trying to get those kids into the rinks at a decent time for the parents to be off work, as well as not too late.”

In the short term, the plan’s goal is to sustain the current arena, but over the next three to seven years, the hope is to add at least one or two sheets. The city hopes there are up to four more ice sheets built in the next seven to 17 years.

However, city councillor Bill Sarai wonders if the city is acting quick enough to fill the void.

“It’s actually gotten worse now. We’ve got adults actually going to Logan Lake to rent the ice rink there for any time they can get,” Sarai said at city hall on Tuesday. “I feel as the Tournament Capital of Canada and a hotbed for hockey and ice rinks, we can’t keep putting this off.”

The other plan is to build another leisure pool to give greater aquatic access to residents. The city has the Canada Games Pool, built in 1993, and Westsyde Pool, constructed in the 1970s.

“Leisure, recreation-based pool water is what we really need,” says Putnam. “The last facility that we’ve actually built was for the 1993 Canada Games, the original Canada Games Pool. That was a competitive pool, so we don’t have a large leisure portion of that.”

Now that the recreational master plan has been adopted by council, the next steps will be feasibility studies for any new ice sheets or an aquatic facility.