$30 Million Sackville Sports Stadium Upgrade Includes Boat Launch, New Entrance
LOWER SACKVILLE – Halifax Regional Council has approved the first stage of a plan to spend nearly $30 million to revitalize the Sackville Sports Stadium (SSS).
Council passed a motion May 9 that will see a long list of upgrades to the stadium added for consideration to the municipality’s 10-year capital plan, starting in the 2027/2028 fiscal year. The motion also includes instructions to city staff to create a formal revitalization plan for the facility.
Some of the upgrades on the table include creating greenspace, water access, boat launch, and floating dock on First Lake; the addition of a full-sized gymnasium and walking track; improvements to the pool and locker rooms; and the creation of a primary, centralized entrance to the facility.
Population explosion
The SSS was built in 1989 by the community, thanks to a fundraising effort, and was initially run by a community association. In 2003, the HRM took operational control of the facility and in 2016 folded it into the Parks and Recreation department.
It is now one of six major recreational hubs in the municipality. It includes an arena, swimming pool, fitness centre, studio spaces, and a six-sheet curling facility.
Over the past half-decade, the population in the area served by the SSS has grown faster than the municipal average. The SSS is one of two municipally owned recreation centres in that area and it has seen strong membership as a result.
However, staff warn that if the city isn’t responsive to changing demographics and facility redesign the decades-old SSS will lose relevance.
“With no significant upgrade or operating model redesign, SSS could suffer from decreasing levels of customer use and satisfaction as it continues to age,” staff says in their report.
Upgrades
Staff is suggesting a long list of upgrades to the SSS. Council has already approved about $6.7 million worth of upgrades, including improvements to the parking lot, locker room, and HVAC system. However, it has so far only budgeted about $3.7 million.
Staff also says the municipality needs to completely overhaul the confusing facility entrance, as well as install a full-sized gymnasium, a walking track, and boat launch on First Lake, among other things.
Members of the public have long complained about the SSS’s layout. The two separate entrances create confusion, are a security risk, and make walking to specific parts of the facility a pain.
The addition water access, boat launch, and floating dock would let the HRM expand canoe and kayak loan programs and allow for the creation of introductory Learn to Canoe and Learn to Kayak programs.
Pool and gym upgrades will also help the facility better serve broadening community needs, city staff say.
“These updates and additions to the facility would maintain state of good repair and enhance the access to programs and services for the community. They would improve the SSS’s ability to continue to remain a viable and relevant component of the municipality’s open and accessible recreational services moving forward, while remaining fiscally and environmentally responsible,” their report reads.
To complete all those upgrades, the city would have to spend about $27 million, on top of the $3.7 million it has already earmarked.
Staff says it would explore “potential external funding opportunities” to help with the cost.
Trevor Nichols is Huddle’s editor, based in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].