Does Drayton Valley need an indoor gymnasium? Three students from Drayton Christian School think so, and made their case to town council last week.
The students, Lucas, Duan and Dane, are aged 12-13. They suggested that an indoor gym would allow for year round recreation opportunities for sports such as basketball, volleyball and tennis that are not currently available in Drayton Valley.
The list of benefits from the proposal would include giving youth something to do outside school, encouraging a lifelong habit of sports and recreation and providing opportunities to make friends and socialize. Suggested locations were adjacent to the new pool, so the facility could be operated with existing staff, a conversion of the curling rink which would reduce cost by using an existing building, or the current Drayton Christian School gym, which is already built and has appropriate flooring and equipment in place.
The three students had also conducted a survey of their junior high classmates, with close to 95 percent support for a proposed sports centre including an indoor gym in Drayton Valley.
Mayor Nancy Dodds said the idea lined up with some things council had heard from schools in the community.
“We’ll definitely give this some thought,” she said.
