The new 亚洲天堂 Lake multi-use facility officially opened its doors last Friday to the public after over a year of hard work by construction workers in building it.
The new facility has a number features that will surely attract local residents to use the facility, such as, the climbing wall, a squash and racquet ball court, a fitness centre and two multi purpose rooms that will be used for village recreation programs and will be available for rent.
Along with those features a new cafe, the 鈥楻e-load Cafe鈥� has been built that will offer people food and beverage options.
New courses and fitness programs will begin alongside the opening of the multi-use facility.
The cost of the facility was $3 million dollars, of which, $2.4 million was received through a provincial government grant, while the remaining cost was covered through money received from the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, the Northern Development Trust Initiative, the Nechako Kitamaat Development Fund and from the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake capital reserves.
From what I鈥檝e seen of the new facility, it looks incredible, but that鈥檚 to be expected when something is newly constructed and brand new.
As well, the cost of monthly, tri-monthly and annual passes are quite affordable, and even the single admission rates are comparable to other city ran recreation facilities that I have seen.
For comparisons sake, the cost of an adult (19+) single admission is $5.25 at the new 亚洲天堂 Lake facility, Delta Parks and Recreation, where I used to live, charges young adults, 19-24-years-old, $4.75 for a single admission and adults, 25-59-years-old $6.25 for a single admission.
However, it is not the cost to build, or the cost to use the new facility that is of interest to me.
It isn鈥檛 even what the new facility offers that interests me.
What has caught my attention is the passion that local residents have about the naming of the new multi-use facility.
There have been many in the community that feel that the re-naming, the Tom Forsyth Memorial Arena is wrong, that it dishonours someone that help contribute to the community getting the arena.
There are others, such as George Hamp, who wrote a letter to the editor last week, and Paul Jean that don鈥檛 understand why it was named what it was in the first place.
I鈥檓 incline to believe those two individuals, especially since Mr. Hamp was the construction foreman on the original project.
It doesn鈥檛 matter how much involvement Tom Forsyth had or didn鈥檛 have in the original arena, his name was put on the building and has been there ever since.
I believe his name should remain as part of the new building.
Generations of kids have grown up playing hockey or other sports in that building.
For me personally, bringing up the name Sungod Arena, where I grew up playing hockey brings back all the triumphs and heartbreaks I experienced in that rink.
That is what truly is behind the name of an arena, and taking that name away sort of robs people that grew up in that arena of a part of their great memories.
The naming of the facility has come down to four names, and there鈥檚 really only one option, the Tom Forsyth Memorial Multiplex.
