A major plan to expand the Athabasca Regional Multiplex with three outdoor soccer fields, complete with bleachers and connecting trails, was voted down by town council 5-2 during its meeting last Tuesday.
The total price tag for the Multiplex Centennial project was $800,000, including a $300,000 grant from the province that would be matched by the same amount split between the town and Athabasca County, with the remaining $200,000 coming from user groups such as soccer clubs.
“Council’s decision was not to proceed at that time, based on the information we had,” said Mayor Roger Morrill after last Tuesday’s vote.
Morrill explained that the decision not to proceed with the Multiplex Centennial project was “a matter of priorities,” and said it was more important for the town to maintain existing infrastructure, noting playgrounds and sidewalks around town in need of fixing,
Alongside the three soccer fields and linking trails, the proposed scheme included scoreboards, a parking lot, an irrigation system for the grass, and a landscaping program including trees.
“It would have been good for the community. It was something we needed, but our elected officials had their last say and they decided to spend the money elsewhere, or just didn’t have the funds available at this time,” said multiplex manager Robert Balay.
With the town refusing to pay its $150,000 share, Balay said that it would be extremely unlikely that Athabasca County would cover the costs. And with no matching provincial grant, he said the Multiplex Centennial project was a “dead issue.”
Nevertheless, Balay said he was optimistic that town council would be willing to fund another project in the future.
The Nov. 2 vote against the Multiplex Centennial project came after the former council deferred the matter until after last month’s municipal election.
