Council committee votes to spend $45M on expansion of Calgary's Repsol Sport Centre
Inglewood and Beltline pools would each get $400K boost in the meantime
A Calgary council committee voted Wednesday to allocate $45 million for an expansion of the inner-city Repsol Sport Centre.
The community and protective services committee also voted to put $400,000 each into the struggling Beltline Aquatic and Fitness Centre and the Inglewood Aquatic Centre until the expansion of the Repsol Centre is finished.
The funds for the Repsol expansion will come from the city's reserve account.
Great news for inner city recreation!<br><br>Committee has approved a $45 million investment to expand Repsol Sport Centre to include specialized aquatic amenities like zero-entry pool, lazy river, slides, & tot pool. <br><br>On to Council next month for the final vote <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyccc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yyccc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yyc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Calgary?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Calgary</a> <a href="https://t.co/76SvJrAVfr">pic.twitter.com/76SvJrAVfr</a>
—@EWoolleyWard8The Repsol complex, formerly the Talisman Centre and Lindsay Park before that, has been a key Calgary athletic facility since the early 1980s and gets in the neighbourhood of 1.5 million users per year while also hosting major athletic and aquatic competitions.
Jeff Booke, CEO of the Repsol Centre, told the committee the existing pools would continue to be open during the expansion work.
Council is set to put the plan to a final vote next month.
Both the Beltline and Inglewood facilities had been recommended by city administration for closure until council voted in late 2019 to keep them open at least until 2022.
The new plan for the Beltline facility calls for the pool to be permanently closed and its weight room to be repurposed as a multi-use community space.
The Inglewood pool would remain open with the caveat it must become more financially sustainable.
"The sustainability of the Inglewood facility relies on increasing visits in combination with reducing the gap between revenue and expenses," the city's plan for the facility reads.