Several Collingwood sport organizations have formed an alliance, with a goal of getting a new multi-use recreation facility built in Collingwood.
The Collingwood Sports and Recreation Alliance (CSRA) has just launched a survey on their website this month, to gather feedback from Collingwood residents on the needs for such a facility in town. Once the survey responses slow, organizer Dave Epp, president of the Collingwood Minor Hockey Association, said the group will be preparing a deputation for council on the outcomes of that survey.
The survey and the organization’s website went live on Jan. 23, and as of Jan. 29, Epp said the alliance has received 726 survey responses already.
“Our sports associations are bursting at the seams for ice time, court time, diamond time, turf time and swimming time,” said Epp. “It’s pretty clear that in a town like Collingwood with a growing population and families moving here that kids sports are also blowing up. It’s something that could provide so much to the community. It’s a no-brainer.”
Epp notes he’s been in Collingwood for nearly 25 years, and is familiar with the town’s history regarding building a new multi-use recreation facility.
“I started thinking about what we could do as minor sports associations to advocate for the kids. I thought about what we could do to put the push on. I reached out to the other minor sports association presidents,” he said. “It’s not about what we want. We need something.”
Local sports organizations participating in the CSRA include Collingwood Minor Hockey Association, the Collingwood Girls Hockey Association, the Collingwood Trailblazers Basketball Club, the Georgian Bay Titans, Collingwood Minor Baseball, Collingwood United Soccer Club and the Collingwood Clippers Swim Club. Epp says new organizations are always welcome to join the alliance, as long as they are youth-based.
“It’s kid-driven. It’s minor sports-volunteer driven,” said Epp.
Epp, along with Trevor Littlejohns, vice-president of Collingwood Girls Hockey Association, did a deputation to council back in July 2023 regarding the need for a multi-use recreation facility in Collingwood. At that time, council was discussing whether or not it made sense to partner with the Town of the Blue Mountains for a feasibility study that would explore the needs of each community separately, and also look into whether it makes sense for the two towns to partner on any joint ventures to address sporting facility needs.
Following that meeting, council voted in favour of proceeding with a joint feasibility study with the Town of the Blue Mountains.
“We’re trying to time this with the feasibility study,” said Epp. “We’ll present it in a deputation, and then it’s really up to the town to determine how important it is and what they need to do.”
For more information on the CSRA or to fill out the survey, click here.
