Medicine Hat council votes in favour of rec centres

Medicine Hat City Council voted unanimously 9-0 for reopening two rec centres in the city for 2022. The Moose Recreation Centre Arena and the Crestwood Pool Fitness Centre received over $900,000 in funds from the city to be able to be kept in operation into next year. The city is also going ahead with a $1.2-million dollar ice slab replacement. City Councillor, Alison Van Dyke, says supporting health and wellness through community access to recreation facilities was a priority for her as a councillor when she was elected during the municipal election in October.

“We’ve seen a real increase now that hockey season has started for the Moose Rec facility. Kids are having to go out to Tilley or Ralston for practices and games. Having one less slab in the city is really affecting their travel and the scheduling around their extra curriculars. It’s been a hot topic in the community. It was a huge concern of residents that they wanted access to those facilities. I think we all heard loud and clear that this was an important thing for our community. That’s why we voted to fund it for 2022.”

The money to repair each centre will come out of an operational reserve account from the city.