Twelve years in the making, but construction is finally underway.
Riverview Mayor Andrew Leblanc says the Town council began talking about a new rec centre when he was first elected in 2012.
“Mayor Seamans had put together a committee to start looking at what path we could take to do this. 12 years later, here we are. We are finally breaking ground. It’s been really exciting. It’s been a lot of work to try and secure funding from the other levels of government, that was a big piece of it. We went through feasibility studies, there was a lot of public consultation that went with it. For a project of this magnitude, something that’s going to have such a big impact on the future of the town, we want to make sure we do it right, and we want to make sure we do in a sustainable way so that it serves the best purpose for our residents.”
The centre comes with a price tag of around $60 million to build, with those funds coming from all three levels of government.
The new facilities will include an aquatic centre, with ten 25-metre lanes and a leisure pool, to replace the current Pat Crossman Memorial Aquatic Centre
“We’re also going to have an indoor Field House, so it’ll have a hard floor surfacing on it, but it would also have a removable turf surface. There will be some community access space, a fitness centre and different things like that. One of the things I think, seniors, for example, are looking forward to is the indoor walking track. That’ll allow people to stay active and be indoors all year round,” Leblanc adds.
From an economic standpoint, Mayor Leblanc says they are optimistic the new recreation complex will attract more people coming in from a tourism perspective.
“We know the facility may even be the catalyst for us to start looking at, a potential hotel coming to this side of the river, or a number of commercial growth opportunities as well. So I think the Recreation Complex is a catalyst for growth on many levels for the town of Riverview, and it’s just a phenomenal step forward for us.”
Leblanc also explained the decision to build right next to Mill Creek. He says incorporating indoor and outdoor recreation so close together creates a lot of opportunity.
“If you’re dropping your kids off for swimming lessons and want to go for a hike at the park, having those assets together, it creates a little bit of a recreation hub, and so we’re certainly looking forward to all the benefits,” Leblanc says.
The hope is to have the new centre open by late 2026.
