Northside Recreation Centre Finally Approved!

After about two years of engagement sessions and proposals, the RRC or the Regional Recreation Corporation has been given the okay to over forward with plans for the Northside Recreation Centre. This centre will be ab Abrams Land and has been in the planning stages for quite some time now.

It took 30 in-person sessions and over 9,500 participation responses to get here, but the area of Fort McMurray may see a new recreation centre in the near future. It will be near the Thickwood and Timberlea neighbourhoods and will provide plenty of activities.

After surveying residents, the city found that the most needed amenities included:

• A Fitness Space
• Bowling Alley
• Cinema
• Arena
• Aquatics Centre

All of these amenities were included in the final proposal, except for the cinema space. The reason for the cinema space not being included was due to an announcement made by Landmark Cinemas. They plan to bring a new theatre to the Eagle Ridge area by 2016, which will take care of the need for a cinema.

The Northside Recreation Centre is expected to be about 250,000 square feet in size and cost just under $200 million to complete. The project will add plenty of new activities to the Fort McMurray area for the growing population.

About $13 million was approved recently to get the ball rolling on the Northside Recreation Centre. This will get the two arenas started and the remaining funds will be discussed as a part of the 2015 capital budget. Other funds are expected to cover the indoor track, studio space, fitness centre, bowling alley, library and other amenities.

This project won't happen quickly, but it will be worth the wait. Many residents support the building of the new centre. The RRC is hoping to get the project started very soon and expect completion to happen by 2018.