As we go from winter to spring, the Rec Centre parking lot is going through a lot of upheaval. We are aware of how bad it is, and are doing our best to mitigate any issues, but have limited resources.
In case you are not aware – the land the Chestermere Rec Centre sits on is owned by Rocky view County (RVC), but not maintained by them. The Rec Centre (and property) is maintained and run by the not-for-profit organization called the Chestermere Regional Community Association (CRCA). The CRCA does not have any sustained funding from RVC, the City of Chestermere (where you pay your taxes) or any other level of government. With a volunteer board and amazing staff, our top priority is maintaining daily operations in order to support the variety of community recreation opportunities which take place at the Centre.
While we would love to repave the parking lot, when we last requested estimates for the work, they ranged from $600,000 to $1,200.000 (depending on level of work). Even fixing the potholes costs on average $40,000 to $60,000 each year. The CRCA is focused on raising funds for this work, which included our Banger Bingo lot fundraiser in October (which raised $12,000). As we work with the City to secure funding to permanently solve the parking lot issue, we are budgeting annually to patch areas of concern.
With assistance from the City, we will be working to fill the potholes as best we can in the next few days. We understand your concerns and appreciate your patience as we work to resolve the issues.
We have worked with City of Chestermere in recent years regarding the parking lot (including a new proposal that would help alleviate the Anniversary Beach parking issue). The CRCA is looking for more permanent funding solutions from both the City and our landowners (RVC). Should you have further questions regarding funding please reach out to the municipalities.
If you are interested in donating to our fix the parking lot campaign, please contact us anytime at reception@chestermerecrca.com
