Community advocates in Old Strathcona are pressuring city council to keep its promise to build Edmonton’s next rec centre in their neighbourhood. The “Friends of Scona Rec” group hosted a block party Wednesday evening with the goal of demonstrating strong community support for the build to happen as soon as possible. Instead of spending millions on repairs for the old Scona Pool, the city opted to shut down the site completely in 2022. Its replacement, which has made its way in and out of city discussion in previous months, promises to be more than just a pool. A new concept video for the “Rollies Miles Rec Centre” shows a full-on recreation centre with all the typical indoor amenities, new courts and a winter skating track outside. For area Coun. Michael Janz, the question of building isn’t “if,” but “when.” He says he’s pushing council to fund final designs and construction in the next four-year budget cycle. “When Scona Pool was closed, the commitment to the community was that we were on this track to build the Rollie Miles Rec Centre,” he told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday. The city has already done preliminary design work. Three years ago, the project was pegged at $138 million. In a report going to committee next week, city staff say “the Scona district currently achieves the city’s basic commitment that every resident will have a place to connect, be active and participate in recreation indoors within five kilometres of their residence, which is not the case in other districts.” But Janz says new neighbourhood growth necessitates urgency. “It provides a much needed amenity here in an area where the city’s really focusing on growth. Look around and you see all the infill, you see the new towers, you see the new apartments,” he said. The city is short on money heading into fall budget talks, and council has committed to limit spending and focus on maintenance. But Katrina Semeniuk with Friends of Scona Rec says residents were told they were next in line for a facility, for which they had been advocating since 2009. “We heard there’s no new funding for new rec centres, but this is not new. It’s a replacement,” she said at Wednesday’s block party. Semeniuk’s group is encouraging people to speak at city hall on Monday. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson
