Let’s start this week with a cautionary tale.
A long, long time ago there was a push to build a fieldhouse in Drayton Valley. It began as an idea to create a dedicated space for indoor soccer. That sounded just dandy. Then some other folks got involved and they added all sorts of stuff to the proposal, so the facility was going to include everything from athletics to archery. And then someone came up with the idea to add a banquet hall too, because why not?
The proposed multi-purpose fieldhouse began to look a lot like one of those tools they used to sell on late night television. You know, the kind of thing that’s a hammer, and a screwdriver and a spirit level and a wrench all built into one. The trouble with that kind of gadget is that it’s usually not a terribly good hammer or wrench or whatever, because it’s trying to do too much. So while trying to please everybody, the fieldhouse project collapsed under the weight of its own good intentions. Municipal staff had put a lot of effort into trying to make it happen. Volunteer groups had worked hard to raise money. So when the fieldhouse hit the skids the debacle left a bad taste in a lot of mouths. The only part of the project that came to fruition was the banquet hall, which evolved into the MacKenzie Conference Centre. The MacKenzie Centre is great, but you can’t play soccer in it. Well, you probably could, but it wouldn’t be a very good idea.
I mention this because I, along with everyone else in Drayton Valley and Brazeau County, am being asked for my opinion on the future of recreation in the community. In case you missed it, there’s a survey on the Town of Drayton Valley website.
I took that survey so you don’t have to.
Perhaps I’m not really the target audience. They start by asking which facilities you use. I’m not much of a swimmer – more of a sinker really – so I have used the new pool precisely twice since it opened. Mind you, that’s a dramatic increase from the old pool, which I used once in 20 years.
Skatepark? Nope. Outdoor rink? Nope. Soccer fields? Nope. Omniplex? I’ve popped in to use the washrooms a couple of times. Does that count?
As far as other facilities are concerned, I have been to Whitby Hall quite a lot. I even got married there once. But those visits, plus a couple to Easyford, have almost all been for weddings or funerals. Does that count as recreation? I suppose there’s dancing at some of them.
Anyway, in spite of the fact I don’t use those facilities, I can see the value of having them in Drayton valley/Brazeau. Good recreational opportunities add to the quality of life and they make the entire community a more attractive place to live and work. Just because my own preferred form of recreation is sitting on my deck drinking beer, doesn’t mean it’s that way for everyone.
Next on the survey was a page asking what kind of facilities I’d like to see in the future. There, right about the middle, was an option for a fieldhouse. My first thought was, are we really going to go there again? But my second thought was, why not?
The survey makes it quite clear that the list of possible future facilities are just ideas, and that each one would come at a cost. A fieldhouse would be a very expensive option and would take years to come to fruition.
But it’s something to think about, and I think there’s a conversation worth having.
It’s been close to 20 years since the proposed multi-purpose fieldhouse died on the drawing board. A lot of things have changed since then. Maybe it’s time to try again.
