WESTLOCK – User groups like minor hockey, ringette and figure skating won’t be returning to the Rotary Spirit Centre (RSC) until at least this coming fall.
The Town of Westlock announced Jan. 26 that it will not be putting ice back into the facility citing the province’s continued COVID-19 lockdown measures as the reason. Ice has been out of the facility since mid-December when the pre-Christmas lockdown measures were announced — Athabasca is in the process of removing its indoor ice, while the Town of Slave Lake will be discussing it in early February. The curling club decided against going forward with a season in early January so no ice was put in at that adjoining facility.
“It was time to provide some certainty to our user groups like minor hockey and others on what, if any, the plan was going forward and we needed to put some certainty into our budget forecasting for 2021 and for our operational planning as well. This is what the reality is and it’s time we made the call, so we did,” said town director of community services Gerry Murphy Jan. 27.
“When the 21st (of January) came and went and there was no indication from the province, it became pretty obvious that we had made the right decision to take the ice out. And here we are, it’s almost February and there is still no idea when (we can open).
“I don’t want to throw the province under the bus any more than they’ve already been, but at the same time they can’t provide any certainty to municipalities as to when we might be allowed to open, or under what circumstances and what conditions they would consider opening rec centres … and quite frankly I don’t think they even know. Then, given all of the recent information will all the new variants (of COVID-19) … I feel for the decision makers because I don’t think they’re in a situation they can win.”
What about the pool and weight rooms?
Murphy said that whenever they get the provincial OK to reopen the RSC and Westlock Aquatic Centre they will be ready, adding that the 34 full, part-time and casual employees temporarily laid off back in December will be called back. That same month the town decided against draining the pool, albeit the water is being kept at a lower temperature using less chemicals to save on costs.
“It’ll depend on what the province says regarding what the opening looks like, we’ll make the call once we know what playbook we’re working with. But once the facilities are able to open, it would have been getting close to the time when we would have taken the ice out anyways and we don’t lay off our arena staff as they move into parks and on to the grass crews and baseball field maintenance, those sorts of things,” Murphy continued.
“So, if we’re able to open fully I expect to be able to recall all of the staff that are currently off. Our intention is to be as ready as we can be when the province says go.”
Murphy said that in the weeks since the lockdown the remaining skeleton crew has had a chance to work on small projects at the two facilities, but are now pretty much caught up.
“Pretty much all of our pool staff were laid off — we kept the pool manager and one half-time on just for safety. So we’ve done lots of small maintenance, organizing and cleaning … the sorts of things you don’t always have time for when you’re at full operation and she’s pretty much done now,” he said.
