Red Deer’s two main recreation centres will soon return to normal hours.
As the city continues with its phased reopening plan, the Collicutt Centre and G.H. Dawe Community Centre will open for regular hours Oct. 1.
The city says now that it has a better understanding of demand, and the new COVID-19 operating environment, it is able to function as normal in coming weeks.
“This is a significant step forward in our reopening plans and we are excited to see that citizens and user groups are increasingly using our facilities,” said recreation superintendent Barb McKee.
“While we remain focussed on ensuring the health and safety of both users and staff, we are looking forward to increasing access to our facilities, through the change in hours, increased services and our fall programming.”
The Red Deer Recreation Centre will open Sept. 14, on limited hours, as the city monitors demand. Hours for the Michener Aquatic Centre will also be modified to provide broad public access to amenities.
All activities, including lane swimming and walking on the track, still must be pre-booked. Fall programming registration is already open.
As of Oct. 1, facility passes and admission will also return to normal. Prices were reduced in early July, as some services at city facilities were not being offered.
“As we planned our gradual reopening of amenities, we knew program and services would initially be limited, which is why we offered a temporary discount,” said McKee.
“As we continue to increase our service levels, we also need to return to regular admission rates to ensure sustainability.”
Visitors to recreation facilities are asked to wear a mask when a distance of two metres from others cannot be maintained. Mask wearing during intense, physical activity is not recommended.