YORKTON - Have you ever driven by the Gallagher Centre, seen the parking lot filled with vehicles and wondered what was happening inside?
That is always a rather interesting question, and the answer will be a varied one depending on just when one makes the observation of a full parking lot.
Take for example this past Saturday. Were you to arrive at the Gallagher Centre around noon you would have likely had to park closer to the nearby Tim Hortons than to the doors of the rec facility.
Once inside you would have found a veritable beehive of activity with people hurrying to one area of the building or another.
Some lugged hockey equipment in wheeled bags, a stick or two clutched in-hand. During the winter months that is a common site with the Westland Insurance Arena always heavily scheduled with hockey – more so at present with the Kinsmen Arena closed. Saturday was no different with a multi-team U18 tournament.
Such tournaments are an integral aspect of tourist activity in the city that is huge for the economy (see the Jan. 8 editorial for more on that).
Others might have been seen with curling brushes, as a high school spiel was underway.
The Flexihall was busy too with a volleyball tournament, again attracting multiple teams which is good news for hotels and restaurants in the city.
Some with a vehicle in the parking lot may well have been headed to the pool that day.
There may have been others headed to meetings, or readying for a wedding reception upstairs.
That is the great thing about the Gallagher Centre as a community hub is the diversity of the activities hosted there over a year.
It might be the upcoming open house of plans for a new wastewater treatment plant, or the Outdoor Show, or housing for events related to the Summer Fair, Harvest Showdown, Culture Days events, or dozens of other activities which are held annually.
There is no doubt turning a profit with recreational facilities is difficult, especially if one factors in covering eventual replacement costs.
And increasingly municipalities will need to question recreation spending when infrastructure such as asphalt, sidewalks, and water and sewer lines are aging and in increasing disrepair.
But, all that said, one cannot discount what a facility such as the Gallagher Centre means to the community.
When initially built many questioned whether it was needed.
The last major additions and upgrades were also not undertaken without some opposition. But, could we imagine Yorkton without the Gallagher Centre today?
While the community would have adapted without it, it would also be diminished without the varied activities it allows to happen here.
