After a long wait and a few hiccups, it’s finally here.
The Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre is complete, and will host not one but two major events this week — and by this time next week, it will be open to the public for everyday use.
And although the project has had its fair share of naysayers along the way, the finished product is certain to impress even the most penny-pinching, miserly skeptic.
The size and quality of the arena is a boon to any ice sports enthusiast in town, and will provide a good home for our lacrosse club as well.
The size of the field house will allow for user groups to host even larger events than they already do, and as any casual athlete in town can tell you, the extra gym space will be a welcome addition.
The walking track and the fitness centre will provide year-round exercise opportunities for every level and intensity of exercise.
On top of all that, a venue of this size may well encourage more big-name musicians to make a stop in our town, boosting our profile within the province and beyond.
There are, of course, some more hurdles to overcome. There will be, as with any new facility of this size, a learning curve for the town staff and for users alike. There will be some concerns about how to fill the currently empty rental spaces. There will be concerns about who gets to use the facility when, and how best to ensure all residents can enjoy the facility.
And, of course, there will be the concern about whether the county will have a change of heart and pay its fair share into this project that will certainly be well-used by town and county residents alike.
But in the end, people aren’t going to remember the bickering, the complaints, the cost overruns and the delays. Twenty years from now, when our children and grandchildren are using this facility for hockey, basketball, volleyball, concerts and who knows what else, they won’t really know about all the work that went into it, all the fundraising and all the volunteer hours.
What they’ll know is that Westlock has a top-notch facility for all the community to use, and in the end, that’s what’s important.
