A $30-million southwest recreational facility officially opens Saturday — built with state-of-the-art technology and a new understanding of how the City of Calgary and its communities do business.

Built high atop Signal Hill with an unobstructed view of the snow-capped Rockies, the impressive 168,000-sq.-ft. Westside Recreation Centre is the first of three such complexes planned in the city.

In each case, the city will provide $25 million for land and capital investment. The communities will provide assurance that they, or a third party, will operate without any further municipal assistance.

Westside has raised another $5 million and presents itself as a hopeful harbinger for other communities.

“In our business plan, we budgeted on having 2,000 members for the first three years,” said Brenda Meneghetti, past chair of the Westside Regional Recreation Society. “And now, before we open, we already have more than 3,000 (members).”

The facility includes a Bowness Lagoon-like indoor skating rink complete with fire pits, a sound system, snow making machine and large video screens. The centre also boasts rinks for hockey and shinny, an aquatics centre with a wave pool, water slide, and lap pool, and a 25,000-sq.-ft. fitness facility.

And it’s all high tech.

Meneghetti points to the $250,000 FitLinxx Interactive Fitness Network software system at Westside as an example of how new technology will help train, and retain, members of all ages.

Westside — with the funding and marketing support of Shaw Cable — is the first Canadian facility to use the U.S. software, which is compatible with all major brands of fitness equipment, said Meneghetti.

The program is available to all members who, after an assessment, are given a computerized training schedule based on their needs.

When members arrive for a workout they access a computer with touch-screen technology. After punching in their identification number, the computer sends the member to the first piece of equipment to begin the workout.

At the equipment, the member again touches a small attached computer screen and is told how much weight to lift, how many repetitions to do, and at what height their seats should be adjusted. When the set is complete the computer sends the member to the next apparatus.

“It makes members lives easier,” said fitness consultant Jackie Adam, noting that all the information is put online as well. “As a trainer I’m allowed to view what’s going on. I can tell if the member is under training or over training and make adjustments, even though I’m not going to be in every day.”

For people who lack self-confidence around the fitness equipment, the software makes the workout less intimidating, and safer, she said.

“People always forget the little things like how high should the chair be,” she said. “If I’m going too fast (on weights) the machine beeps at me . . . or if you aren’t going through the full range of motion it won’t count towards your workout.

“(This helps) people know they’re doing their workout the right way.”

Meneghetti said: “The philosophy of the centre is lifelong recreation and wellness. We have a diverse demographic group, and this will help those groups adapt to working out. The retention rates of people using it are phenomenal.”

Kenn Knights, general manager of recreation programs and facilities for the city, sees the building of Westside as a blueprint for the future.

“Council’s clear direction was: ‘We’re prepared to put capital dollars in, but we’re not prepared to sustain these through operating contributions, so find a third party who is prepared to operate,’ ” said Knights, whose department manages 12 indoor pools, two leisure centres, 14 arenas and six golf courses.

Of the $5 million raised by Westside, $2 million is allocated for future repairs and about $1 million will be designated as an operating reserve fund in case of future shortfalls, he said. Other money raised is allocated for additional features in the recreation centre.

Located at the corner of 17th Avenue and 69th Street S.W., Knight said surrounding communities had been working toward building a centre for a number of years, but couldn’t afford the price. “You can’t ask a community to raise $25 million,” said Knights. “But we felt this (shared approach) was reasonable.”

Westside will serve 29 area communities and about 95,000 people.

A second facility, south of Fish Creek, is now under construction, he said. Detailed designs for another complex in the northeast will be drawn up early next year.

Web Watch:
www.calgarywestside.com
www.fitlinxx.com