Current Recreation Space

When children are getting on the ice at 6 a.m., senior teams are practising around 10 p.m., and girls’ hockey is looking outside Wilmot just to find rental time, we should be paying attention.

Our current recreation space is not meeting all of the needs in our community.

That does not automatically mean the answer is a huge new recreation complex.

But it does mean we need to reopen the conversation and look seriously at what is needed, what could be improved, and what options might actually make sense.

I want to bring sports associations, residents, service clubs, businesses and community groups together and start with the problems people are already trying to solve.

• Could the old arena be part of the solution?

• Could there be an outdoor rink?

• Are there ways to increase ice capacity for less than the costs that have previously been discussed?

Residents have already been looking at ways to reduce some of those estimated costs. I think we should be listening to them.

But recreation is not just hockey.

Baseball Thunder needs more space too.

Do we need more full baseball diamonds, or could some of the need be met with practice diamonds or smaller practice fields?

What do our soccer organizations need?

Are there ways to create more practice space without always having to build a full new facility?

Could we add things like disc golf, outdoor courts, trails or other recreation that is much less expensive but still gives people more opportunities to get outside and be active?

We should also look at the facilities we already have and ask if we are using them properly.

We have vendor and food buildings at some of our recreation areas that sit empty much of the time. Could sports groups, service clubs or community organizations use them to sell food during games and tournaments?

I also think we should do a much better job of telling people what is happening in Wilmot.

• If there is a baseball tournament in New Hamburg, let people know.

• If there is a hockey tournament in Baden, advertise it.

• If there is a soccer game, skating event or community activity happening, make it easier for people to find out.

I would love to see people from different parts of Wilmot coming together every week to watch games, support local teams, buy food from a community group and spend time together. That is what recreation can also be about.

It is not just about buildings, fields and ice time.

It is about giving people a place to gather.

A place for kids to play.

A place for families to spend time together.

A place for people to celebrate something happening in their own community.

A place to belong.

Questions we should ask

1. What are people actually struggling to access?

2. What can we do with what we already have?

3. What smaller improvements could make a big difference?

4. What partnerships can we build?

5. What grants can we apply for?

6. And what bigger projects should we start planning for now, so we are not scrambling later?

   
   

There are already people in this community with ideas.

We should be using them.