North Woodstock Recreation Facility
Planning is underway for Woodstock’s next recreation complex to be located at Cowan Sportsfields, 1459 Devonshire Ave. The new community centre is one of the recommendations coming out of the 2021 Recreation Facility Needs Study and is intended to meet the growing demand for indoor recreational facilities in our community.
Staff has been working with consultants to finalize the amenities that will be included in the facility and begin forecasting the costs to guide capital budget planning. This information was presented to Council at their Nov. 7, 2024 meeting.
Background
The City currently operates the following indoor recreational facilities:
- Reeves Community Complex: twin ice pad, gymnasium, gymnastics facility (operated privately)
- Cowan Park Sportsplex: an indoor turf field, walking track, multipurpose room and gymnasium
- Southside Aquatic Centre: 25m L-shaped indoor pool with diving board and sauna, and one meeting room
- Civic Centre Arena – single pad arena
What’s being proposed
The new facility is included in the 2029 capital budget forecast. It’s important to note that this does not mean that is when the facility will be built. Rather, it is a placeholder to ensure Council has information to consider along with all the other capital projects when they review the budget each year.
The features currently being proposed for the new community centre include:
- a new arena (with either one or two ice surfaces)
- a gymnasium
- multi-purpose rooms
- a new indoor pool and
- administrative space
Estimated costs
| Feature / Component | Estimated Cost in 2024 Dollars |
|---|---|
|
Twin-pad Arena |
$49,604,500 |
|
Gymnasium |
$6,220,500 |
|
Multi-Purpose Rooms |
$2,046,000 |
|
Pool |
$18,249,500 |
|
Administrative and Building Space (lobby, offices, hallways, building maintenance and systems etc.) |
$9,284,000 |
|
Total |
$85,404,500 |
Next steps
The public was invited to provide feedback from Feb. 10 to March 7. Staff are now tabulating the results and aim to report back to Council with the outcome of the consultation by mid-April. The feedback received will help inform the more detailed design of the facility as well as decisions around budgeting and timing of implementation.
