Town south of Calgary looking into expanding its recreation centre
A town near Calgary is eyeing a possible expansion for its recreation centre in the coming years, as it looks ahead to future community needs.
As part of early discussions, the Town of Okotoks has begun identifying amenities that could be included in a future expansion of its recreation centre.
According to Okotoks’ 2023 Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Master Plan, a leisure swimming pool, climbing gyms, children’s play spaces and 25-metre swimming lanes were identified as priority amenities to support the expansion.
“These would be key features in a possible expansion,” Daniel Robinson, the recreation programs manager for the Town of Okotoks, said when speaking with Daily Hive.
Okotoks’ recreation centre currently offers a bunch of amenities, including two indoor pools, a hot tub and sauna, a 1,100 sq. ft. exercise studio, hard courts for a range of different sports, two NHL-sized ice surfaces, a curling rink, a child-minding service, and a youth centre.
Town of Okotoks/Facebook
“Our current recreation centre is a key community hub that our residents utilize, and we would strive to only improve this vital location in our town.”
As of 2024, Okotoks had a population of 33,096. According to the Town’s growth strategy, that number is projected to climb significantly over the coming decades, with Okotoks expected to reach 95,875 people by 2049.
“The goal of an expansion would be to provide improved experiences to our community. The ability to offer an increased service level through new amenities would greatly benefit our membership and community, who are seeking more recreational opportunities.”
The project is still in the early planning stages, and there is currently no specified timeline for when the expansion will move forward.
Robinson added that the 2026 budget value for the recreation centre expansion project is for completing further studies on the existing site in the process of reviewing the possible expansion project. The Okotoks capital budget also has funding allocated for it from 2029 to 2031.