ESTEVAN - A group has been meeting to discuss and study options for a future recreation facility in Estevan.
Kevin Mortenson, who has been involved with multiple sports organizations in the city, said he reached out to most sports groups in Estevan to bring them together and get their thoughts. They held their first meeting on March 5 with about 30 people in attendance. Additional people were invited but couldn't make it.
"Everyone I've talked to after the fact was very positive with how the meeting was," said Mortenson. "I think they're glad that we're putting our necks out there and … possibly building something, because … as one of the coaches for football, we went up to Weyburn twice this winter to use the Sparks Centre."
He envisions a project that could include a field house, a third ice surface, a hard-court surface for multiple sports and more, although Mortenson recognizes such a project would carry a hefty price tag.
He was also at city-wide registration March 26, where he approached some groups that weren't at the first meeting about the project. The response he had was positive. The next meeting will be April 16, and Mortenson said some groups will be present that weren't at the first meeting.
"Anybody that I've talked to that's been using a gymnasium over the winter [says] there seems to be less and less availability like there was in previous years," said Mortenson.
The school gymnasiums aren't suitable for some sports like football or baseball, he said.
Among the groups invited to the table was the Estevan Minor Hockey Association, which has publicly expressed its desire for a third arena in the Energy City. Mortenson was impressed with a letter to the editor that president Stephen Truman submitted to the Estevan Mercury during the civic election campaign last year that explained the economic benefits of a third arena.
"It would be a nice luxury for us to be hosting these types of things, and look at the economic windfall that would go along with it. It would save a lot of parents driving time, going as far away as Torquay, Midale, Lampman and Alameda – wherever they all have to go," said Mortenson.
Business leaders and representatives from the City of Estevan and the RM of Estevan were present for the first meeting. They also invited the Estevan Exhibition Association to attend because a new facility could be close to the exhibition grounds.
He hopes the meeting on the 16th will be a chance to get more information from the participating organizations on the economic benefits and the usage of such a facility, how it would improve the program and how they think such a facility would improve the community.
Mortenson said they will eventually go to Estevan city council with a letter of intent and support.
There's a lot to be discussed, including fundraising, Mortenson said. Regardless of the project's scope, Mortenson said he and the committee want to have minimal stress on the taxpayers. He recognizes it would take some creative fundraising, but he hopes it can happen.
"Everybody seems to be behind it, but the next step is where are we going to find the funds to build this, how to build this, where are we going to build it, and I think that's part of the next discussion. Everybody's curious, and they do want it built. Anybody I've talked to about it, I haven't heard anybody say 'No, I don't want this, it's going to cost too much money, it's going to sit empty.'"
He expects federal and provincial governments will have grants for the project.
And he stressed the facility isn't guaranteed to proceed. But he believes it would be well-used if it did.
