Recreation Facility Infrastructure Standards and Strategy

In need of gymnasium facilities to accommodate the growing demand of basketball. Participation at all youth levels is growing exponentially

shelving storage

Hello again Elizabeth.. shelving inside the room would be best as it is sometimes difficult to carry lots of heavy books. Perhaps there could be one or more walls which are a series of lockable cupboards. I think this is really important to support adult activities other than sports.

More badminton facilities

A lot more badminton courts would be nice. It's something that can't be played outdoors/in parks/on school yards, and is cheap to set up and maintain. All you need is a net and court markings. With it being a sport for 2-4 players, it also allows families or small group of friends or a couple to go be active without having to organize teams or leagues. It's also very affordable unlike other sports. A cheap raquet and birdie is all that is needed.

Facility design and requirements are too focused on team sports

Soccer, tennis, basketball, and hockey are great, but many people prefer cultivating individual sports such as track and field, dance, yoga, parkour, gymnastics, or martial arts. It is difficult to find safe, open spaces (even just an outdoor track or an empty room somewhere) to practice these sports by yourself and not in a class. When you can't find space for the sports you want to do, it's frustrating to see so many group sports facilities (rinks, pitches, etc.) that sit empty when not used by teams. Please take this into consideration when designing new facilities, and leave some open spaces for people who like to move but don't play on a team.

Too many parking spots

Less parking/more expensive would be better. - Self driving technology, if possible, won't need parking as badly - parking can interfere with things like bike lanes - parklets would be a better use, the visually appealing nature benefits human health - more expensive parking / less parking decreases societies dependence on cars, which is environmentally friendly. Even if one doesn't believe in global warming, smog can still happen obvious some parking must continue to exist Citations: i don't want to be flagged as spam for posting external links, so here's just 1: look up: "the high cost of free parking" by vox.

MORE EQUIPMENT FOR ADULTS AND OLDER ADULTS

Beach Volleyball....Exercise Equipment...Table Tennis..Drop-in sports Adult Canadians are more lacking in physical activity than our kids . Our Parks need to serve Adults better especially in the core where there are more adults. Drop in sports, because they are always open, fit modern, busy, individualistic society we live in. You don't have to book a space and make your schedule conform to a rec centre's time slots and pay to play. We need more fitness equipment for adults . Table Tennis is also a sport that older adults can play and is good exercise when games are competitive. Beach Volleyball is a great co-ed sport for adults . There is not a single public beach volleyball court in; Westboro, Hintonburg, Centretown, Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Old Ottawa East, Sandyhill, or Vanier. Ottawa is so behind in prioritizing parks as a great place to be for everyone and there's no reason we can't do better. If you want to see how great Parks can be for everyone check out Montreal or Vancouver.

Art work that is favorable to minorities/lgbt/disabilities etc.

Diversify sports facilities- we need a centrally located indoor running track and a gymnastics facility

An indoor running track is essential for runners during Ottawa's hot summers and cold winters, when running outside is difficult and dangerous, and are more versatile and useful than treadmills. We have only one, located out in Bearbrook, far away from most of the city and difficult to get to. Running is a safe and popular sport, and it is also inexpensive, requiring no special equipment. Similarly, a gymnastics facility with padded floors and foam blocks would be a safe place for people looking to build functional strength, practice gymnastics, or practice parkour, which is an increasingly popular sport among the city's youth and adolescents. I suggest the old tennis court and adjacent empty paved lot in Riverain Park as a potential site for both facilities- it is centrally located and well-served by several transportation options.

Would love to see a proper outdoor athletics (i.e. track and field) facilities in the east and west ends.

Right now anyone who wants to train for track and field has only one option, Terry Fox, which is a fair hike for anyone living west or east of Ottawa proper.

Pools/natatoria

Would like shower curtains/stalls (at least in women’s but I think it would be fair for both) and something to reduce/absorb noise. Meets are sooo noisy and the acoustics aren’t well designed in my mind. Perhaps we can do better in these regards.