There is one infrastructure project in Clayton Park that can’t be missed. Construction of the Canada Games Centre is well under way and the facility will be a showcase venue for the 2011 Canada Winter Games.
“It will be the largest structure east of Montreal for recreation,” says Russell Walker, the councillor for Fairview-Clayton Park. The centre will be completed next winter.
There will be an eight-lane, 25-metre indoor competition pool at the centre, which will replace the Northcliffe Pool. The centre’s pool will also include a leisure pool, a baby/toddler pool, a hydrotherapy pool and a waterslide.
There will also be a six-lane, indoor 200-metre running track, which will be the largest of its kind in Nova Scotia. The centre includes a 52,000-square-foot fieldhouse with three full-sized gymnasiums.
The 176,000-square-foot centre will also feature space for the community, such as multi-purpose rooms, a youth centre and a dance/arts/culture studio room.
“The goal of the Canada Games Centre is accessibility,” said Paul Dunphy, the director of community development for HRM, in a release.
“We’re building a facility that will provide a wide range of recreational opportunities. Not everyone is a competitive athlete, but everyone should be allowed the chance to build their own healthy lifestyle through community recreation and sport.”
Other potential projects in Clayton Park include a Metro Link bus, which would offer an express line into the downtown.
“Clayton Park is one of the areas that’s been mentioned, but nothing has been confirmed yet in terms of time frame,” says Lori Patterson, a spokesperson for Metro Transit.
Traffic is always a concern in the area and with only two ways of getting in and out of the Bayers Lake Business Park, a third option is being talked about.
It would be an underpass located between the IMAX and The Brick in the business park, and it would go under the Bicentennial Highway and connect with a future development located near the Mount Royal subdivision.
“That would give us a badly needed extra entrance and exit for vehicles in Bayers Lake,” says Mary Wile, the councillor for Clayton Park-West.
Extending Regency Park Drive to allow it to connect with Northwest Arm Drive is also an issue for constituents.
