There have been many questions and suggestions about what to do with the now-closed Ruth Inch Memorial Pool. There's been talk about turning it into a recreation centre, a library, or even commercial space.
But if the Territorial Action Sports Association (TASA) has anything to say about it, it will become the city's newest skate park.
Representatives from TASA were at city hall on Monday evening to pitch the idea repurposing the building into a year-round facility inside the former aquatic facility, which shut its doors for good on April 13.
Laura Stott, TASA's president, told city council that Yellowknife's climate limits action sports to just a few months each year and that there's no dedicated indoor space where youth can skateboard, BMX or scooter.
Stott said the concept is a simple one: a skate park featuring ramps, poles and a beginners' area.
"This will be a vibrant hub for youth, families and community events," she said. "For this vision to be real, we need the city to first approve the facility for this use."
The project promotes an active lifestyle for everyone, she added.
"It provides safe and inclusive recreation, revitalizes a municipal asset and positions Yellowknife to host new regional and recreational events," she said.
Stott asked council to have the city provide the building at a no-lease cost and to continue covering the costs of both heat and building maintenance as property owners. In return, TASA would cover electricity and operational costs through sponsorship, fundraising and membership fees.
Stott said the fundraising component is dependent on certainty.
"Corporate sponsors and community donors will only commit if they know the facility is secured for this purpose," she said. "We are not putting the cart before the horse. The city's commitment must come first and community funding will likely follow."
TASA board member Andrew Tremblay said the financial picture was straightforward in their view with start-up costs estimated to be around $418,000, an amount he said would be raised privately, but only if the city would commit to what he called a "soft yes" on the use of the facility.
Operating costs are pegged at around $231,000 annually, he added, which would cover upgrades or renovations that would be raised through corporate sponsorship.
"The city's contribution would be in-kind support of around $65,000, which is my estimate for heating and electricity," said Tremblay.
Coun. Garett Cochrane was fully in favour of the idea, but wanted clarification on how much of the facility would be required.
"You mentioned multi-use ... I'm assuming you're thinking of using a small portion (of the building), the old deep end, perhaps," he said.
Tremblay said it would be use of the entire facility.
"When we referred to multi-use, we're referring to all wheeled sports within the structure itself," he said.
He added that there has been contact with groups in the south about how they've managed to find success in getting their indoor facilities up and running.
"What they've found is that tailoring it specific to calling it a skate park (but) in reality, it's an indoor-wheeled park," he said.
Stott said there's a possibility of having themed nights involving the arts as well, citing a skate park in Winnipeg that has done the same thing.
"They've hosted beading nights, dance parties SA国际影视传媒� it would be primarily the skate facility, but let's have beading nights, let's have a Pride dance party, let's take this model and branch it out," she said.
Cochrane said the request sounds much like the arrangement the city has with the Yellowknife Gymnastics Club, where the city owns the building and the club looks after operations and maintenance.
Coun. Rob Warburton asked if the group would still be willing if they were responsible for all of the operation and maintenance costs.
Tremblay indicated they would be, but TASA would need a full costing of what that would look like.
Warburton indicated it would be around $600,000, based on numbers from the 2024 budget.
No decision was made on the proposal and there was no indication of whether it would be discussed at a future council meeting.
