By TERRY PUGH
The dream is now reality.
The Martensville Recreation Centre (MRC) officially opened for business on Friday, October 11.
The 145,000 square foot multi-purpose facility welcomed a flood of curious residents anxious to see for themselves what the massive building west of Highway 12 held inside.
They weren’t disappointed.
A towering spacious lobby graced with an impressive display of Indigenous artwork greeted them as they walked through the main doors.
But immediately, their attention was draw to the massive climbing wall where youngsters attached to safety ropes were clambering up to dizzying heights.
Martensville Mayor Kent Muench summed up the reaction of most people when they saw the facility for the first time:
“The looks of awe when they walk in the door,” said Muench. “That says it all.”
Muench said the facility has been a long time in the making.
“Twelve years ago, we dreamed about what this might look like, and now that it’s here, it’s very inspiring,” he said. “The most repeated phrase I keep hearing from people is: ‘I can’t believe this is in Martensville. This is incredible.’
“But, the overall feeling after the initial sense of awe is a feeling of being welcome,” added Muench. “No matter where you’re from, we want everyone to feel welcome here. So we made sure to have it as accessible as possible, and incorporate things like the Indigenous art, and braille for the vision-impaired people to find their way around.”
People brought their skates along to try out the new ice surface, a badly-needed addition to the community where minor hockey registration has soared in recent years.
In addition to the full-size hockey arena and climbing wall, the MRC also boasts indoor batting cages and pitching tunnels, an indoor playground, meeting rooms, retail spaces and food and beverage concessions. The soccer pitch on the north side of the facility is slated to open in 2025.
Muench said third-party private-sector partners are a key part of the facility.
“We have businesses setting up shop here because they have confidence in our community and they realize this is an amazing space,” said Muench, adding community volunteers, corporate sponsors and donors helping fund the facility are also key to its success.