An article in the Telegraph-Journal this week caught my eye – A cheap solution for recreation woes.
Guy Barbara suggested a creative way to build recreation facilities that are cost effective:
He thinks that a building similar to the new city salt and sand shed on the west side could be erected beside arenas and then hooked up to existing ice-making plants.
The Charles Gorman Arena is one that he feels would be perfect for such structures. He believes there’s room for a trio of such structures that would house hockey, field sports and tennis.
The buildings, which are steel ribs covered in fabric attached to a concrete foundation and half wall, cost in the area of $600,000. The fabric could eventually be removed and the concrete foundation and walls could be part of a permanent structure.
I love his out of the box thinking!
While I’m having a hard time picturing the ice surface idea, many other sports such as soccer and tennis would be perfect for this type of complex.
“Saint John can’t afford grandeur,” Barbara said. “They should settle for what they can afford now and then when they have the money, do it.”
Almost a month ago, Barbara met with a city official – he wouldn’t say who – to discuss the idea, but the idea seemed to fall on deaf ears.
“City management is rather big, in Saint John,” Barbara said.
City hall, he said, isn’t interested in such a low-tech, low-grade solution. Taking the idea one step further, Barbara sweetened the deal by offering to lease some of the buildings from the city and then charge subsidized usage rates.
“I’m guaranteeing to rent one of them. If necessary, I’ll go out and find the person to rent the other one so it costs them (city) nothing.”
The idea, he said, will cost him money.
“I do many things that I don’t make money on.” But he believes the structures and what they contain could be operated close to break-even.
Barbara is urging people to investigate for themselves.
“They’re unbelievable,” he said of the structure on Manchester Avenue.
“The beautiful thing is how simple it is.”
A little searching found some pictures of what these type of facilities look like:
I think that they look awesome, and I would love to have this in Saint John!
Not to mention that they are more affordable then the traditional complex’s being built.
Saint John needs recreational facilities – and we need ones that we can afford.
Let’s hope Guy’s idea takes off!
