Town officials are calling the first few weeks of operating the Virtual Rec Room at the Aquatic Centre a relative success after receiving nine bookings in the month of November.
“I think things are going fairly well there. I’ve had a lot of positive feedback,” community services director Mike Butler told council at its Dec. 10 meeting.
Approved in April at a cost of $87,000, the Virtual Rec Room was opened to the public in October. It offers users a virtual experience on the big screen with a number of sports like golf, football and baseball as well as other activities to choose from.
There were eight regular bookings and a birthday party throughout the month, which slightly exceeded expectations. Butler said he has taken out ads in the Town & Country to try to reach out to other communities in the region as well.
“That comes back to council’s vision. When we planned that out it was a method to balance the books at the Aquatic Centre and bring in some additional revenue,” said Coun. Murtaza Jamaly. “If it is bringing in additional revenue and exceeding our goals then it’s accomplishing exactly what we need it to do.”
Coun. Randy Wold said he had spoken to a frequent user of similar virtual rec rooms in Edmonton and he said the Westlock room is even better than the rooms he’s been to in the city.
“They were kind of apprehensive when they first heard we were taking over a racquetball court, but after visiting it and seeing how well decorated it was, they were very impressed with the couches and everything, He said it is actually bigger than the rooms in Edmonton,” he said.
“They’re looking forward to January, February, March to getting more use out of it.”
