The future of the proposed South Bowmanville Recreation Centre will be decided at a special meeting of Clarington Council on Monday, October 2 at 6:30 pm.
The final decision was deferred from the September 25 meeting of Clarington Council, where Councillors considered four options to advance plans for the new Bowmanville facility, as well as additional outdoor skating rinks in Courtice and Newcastle.
In March this year, Clarington council has asked staff to create a plan for a new outdoor refrigerated skating surface (trail and/or pad), not to cost more than $20 million of the funds earmarked for the South Bowmanville Recreation Centre (see below).
On Monday, council will consider a motion to move forward with Option 4 for the South Bowmanville Recreation Centre: to construct a gymnasium, multi-purpose rooms, a sports dome, indoor walking track and outdoor skating rink on the Clarington Fields lands on Baseline Road. These elements reflect an identified, immediate need for additional recreation and programming space in Clarington, said a municipal statement.
It said as part of the motion, council will consider the upcoming findings of Clarington’s Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan. If the plan – which is set to be finalized in 2024 – also identifies the need for additional amenities, such as ice rinks, an aquatic centre, or other facilities, council would consider those also.
In Clarington’s 2022 budget, there was $65 million earmarked to expand the Bowmanville indoor soccer facility into a state-of-the-art recreation facility. However, construction cost increases led to a new cost estimate of $134 million, and the plan for the new recreation facility was paused in March of 2023.
Learn more about the proposed South Bowmanville Recreation Centre by visiting www.clarington.net/SouthBowmanvilleRec.
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