Recreation plan not that fit, St. John's residents tell forum

An ambitious plan to overhaul parks and recreational facilities in St. John's came in for a rough ride Wednesday night, as residents in different neighbourhoods picked apart details.

The draft plan involves spending as much as $70 million on capital works alone over the next decade, with major replacements set for the existing city-owned Mews and Wedgewood Park recreation centres.

Overall, the plan attempts to cut obesity rates and make it easier for citizens to live a healthier lifestyle.

But some residents who attended a public meeting at City Hall focused on what the plan is lacking.

"Southlands once again has been ignored," said Paula Schumph, who lives in the rapidly growing neighbourhood at the city's southwest perimeter.

Jack Casey, who works with the St. John's Minor Hockey Association, said he was surprised by the suggestion to put an extra ice surface at Twin Rinks.

"You can't physically put another ice pad on that property, unless the city is prepared to expropriate homes," he said.

"Or unless it's $15 million, because you're going to put it on the roof or something."

'Just crying in the pool'

Valerie Holden, who swims at the Wedgewood Park pool, said she was upset that a plan to replace the recreation centre doesn't include a new pool.

"I was there this morning and my whole class was just crying into the pool," Holden said.

The city drafted the plan to address larger issues of fitness and community engagement.

The plan, with proposed spending between $60 million and $70 million, may cause sticker shock for a cash-strapped city council that only last year considered cutting a $150,000 subsidy to the Aquarena.

But Coun. Shannie Duff said she expects many of the capital projects to be cost-shared with more senior levels of government. Duff said much of the money is earmarked to go toward replacing aging facilities that the city is already paying for.

"Projects that they have identified as of highest priority in terms of need and the greatest community benefits are ones like the Mews Centre which is very old and we never built for the purpose which it's now being used and really needs to be replaced," Duff said.