Plans for a massive new recreation facility in Winnipeg’s Waverley West area have been put on hold.
Construction of the South Winnipeg Recreation Campus was supposed to start in 2022, but funding for the project wasn’t finalized until 2023.
Now, a new city report says the cost of the facility has risen to $94 million — about $23 million over what the city had budgeted in 2019. Construction is not expected to begin until at least the start of 2025.
The new report says the rise in funding required for the recreation campus is due in part to federal funding delays, as well as an unprecedented rise in costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent impacts on the construction industry.
“It’s not a surprise for sure. I knew that the price would be going up,” Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West) told reporters at city hall on Tuesday.
The campus will be the first regional recreation facility in Winnipeg, covering the southwest corner of the city, and is expected to serve a population of around 120,000.
Plans for the facility include three gyms, a running track, and fitness facilities.
The city had planned work on the campus to go along with construction of a new high school — which opened last September — and other amenities to serve the growing population.
The city report says the project is on hold until city staff get direction from council.
Lukes says the project may need to be scaled down, or the city will have to seek more funding.
“Everyone — council, the mayor — realizes that we can’t build a city the size actually larger than Brandon and not put a recreational facility in,” she said.
“It is disappointing to hear that we have to find another $23 million, but … we just have to keep moving forward.”
Precious Lebe Boogba and Callum Tennant, both Grade 10 students at Pembina Trails Collegiate, say the recreation campus would mean a lot for their community.
“If we can have one right here, it’ll be more accessible for people who live here,” Boogba told CBC on Tuesday.
Tennant says the Bridgwater area, which is part of Waverley West, is lacking a big recreation complex.
“I’m furious. I wish our government would be a little more organized,” he said.
“I get how there’s a lot of other things that are in more dire need instead of a recreation centre, but I would just like to have a recreation centre, you know?”
‘We’re going to build this thing’
Igor Yusprakhov, who moved to the area with his family three years ago, says the neighbourhood needs more services for people with young kids like daycares, schools and recreational facilities.
“Later is better than nothing, but I guess more people would be happy if it will come faster than two years,” he said.
When the facility gets built, and what it will look like, remains unknown. Lukes says it has been a long and complicated journey to get construction off the ground.
“I’m really pleased that we have land, that we have funding now,” she said. “We have to get a bit more funding, but we’re going to build this thing.”
Plans to build a massive new recreation facility in Winnipeg’s Waverley West area are on hold due to rising costs.