ESTEVAN - Estevan city council approved a new policy at Monday night’s meeting that governs the walking track at Affinity Place.
In a memo to council, city program manager Erin Wilson included several new guidelines for the track. No equipment would be allowed, including hockey sticks, balls, pucks, pylons, mats, weights or skipping ropes. Walking poles would still be allowed.
Walking or jogging will be permitted on the track, but not sprinting or racing. No wheels will be permitted, either, other than strollers or walkers.
Proper footwear will be needed, and people will have to be mindful on the track of its multiple uses. She also noted that patrons and/or spectators are not always paying attention during games and practices.
The new guidelines will be posted at Affinity Place.
Also, for the Estevan Minor Hockey Association and minor sport groups scheduled in Affinity, they must follow all posted guidelines, and the walking track will have no access to teams on Mondays and Thursdays from 4-9 p.m.
These days will be promoted as quiet times for the community to use, free from dryland training and additional fitness programming.
“If a game is scheduled for these days in Affinity, EMHA will be allowed to access the track for the maximum of a 15-minute warm-up only.”
The city will communicate information to the best of its ability to potential walkers in these situations.
Pregame warmup times on the track will be a maximum of 30 minutes.
Teams must be accompanied by a coach or trainer and/or guardian over the age of 18 years. No team will be allowed in the north ice level space, due to the electrical panel and Zamboni room; this area is for staff only.
This marks the first time there has been a policy for the walking track since Affinity Place opened in the spring of 2011.
Mayor Roy Ludwig said the city has received quite a bit of feedback about the policy, and council had time to go over the document.
Coun. Kirsten Walliser said it was a good first step and the document tries to meet the needs of the different groups.
“I want to reassure people that it’s not set in stone, that as we explore this policy and put it into use, we still want feedback from the community and we can always make tweaks later on,” she said.
Coun. Shelly Veroba voted against the policy, saying it would be difficult to enforce and would create confusion for warm-up times for EMHA teams.
Other members of council voted in favour of the policy.
Wilson noted the track is often very busy, especially during the winter months. The space is shared by hockey and skating families, as well as fans during practices and games. It is also a popular location for people to come in and participate in fitness and sports training programs.
“Even though the arena is large, the track space is not very wide so it can certainly fill up quickly,” Wilson wrote. “Concerns have been raised regarding the use of the walking track. This involves the liability and safety concerns with multiple groups with multiple activities.”
The issue of the walking track was brought forward just before Christmas, with Megan LeBlanc, who has used the walking track and concourse for her fitness business, voicing concern that she had been told she wouldn’t be allowed to use the area for her classes for much longer.
She noted she was told there had been a complaint, even though nobody had ever complained to her.
At the time, council said a policy would be coming.
