2009 FACILITIES OPERATIONAL FORUM
Recreation infrastructure in Ontario is aging and in general in a state of physical decline. The inventory of municipally-owned facilities suggests that between 30% and 50% of the stock in each facility type (arena, swimming pool, community centre, etc.) are at, or approaching, its useful life.
The vast majority of publicly-owned recreation facilities were built between 1956 and 1980. Facilities from this period not only require ongoing capital funding for renovations, or planned replacement, but also require skilled recreation facility operations and management professionals.
According to a study of major sport and recreation facility inventory in Ontario, “there are more 50-year-old publicly-owned community centres (22%) than centres that have been developed in the past 10 years. While is it safe to assume that many of these older facilities have received capital infusions throughout their life cycles, it is also quite possible that the majority of centres in this age category will require replacement in the near term.”
This Facilities Operational Forum will focus on the role of the recreation facility professional to:
- ensure that public infrastructure remains safe and serviceable
- monitor, evaluate and make recommendations on the status of the facilities to senior staff for further discussion and action
- champion and emphasize the importance of facility life-cycle planning and maintenance.
