Orillia entering 'home stretch' on new recreation centre (16 photos)

City officials are getting excited as the Orillia Recreation Centre takes shape.

They took a tour of the West Street facility Tuesday with Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke, Ramara Mayor Basil Clarke and Oro-Medonte Mayor Harry Hughes.

One of the more noticeable features is the large “Orillia” sign that was recently installed on the front of the 132-square-foot building.

“We’re pretty proud of the Orillia sign,” said Ray Merkley, the city’s director of parks, recreation and culture, noting it will be backlit at night by the light inside, allowing for it to be easily seen from the road.

Merkley said he is pleased with the progress being made. The pool tiling is almost complete; a large, movable floor in the eight-lane, 25-metre lap pool is being installed; and the “legacy project” from the Orillia 2018 Ontario Winter Games is up in the 14,800-square-foot gymnasium — a $170,000 scoreboard that can be divided in half when the dividing wall is being used.

“Every day you come in here, it’s more and more exciting,” Merkley said.

The gym has enough room for two FIBA-sized basketball courts, or four smaller ones, three volleyball courts, and six badminton or pickleball courts.

A 225-metre running track gives people a view of various parts of the rec centre. The rubber track has been delivered.

There’s plenty of work happening on the three pools — the main lap pool, the therapy pool and the leisure pool.

A rock-climbing wall and a “Tarzan rope” will be above part of the main pool, giving swimmers some fun options for diving in.

The rec centre is on track for a January or February opening, Merkley said, meaning it will be ready for the Orillia 2020 Ontario Winter Games, happening Feb. 27 to March 1.

“We’re getting to the home stretch,” he said.

Mayor Steve Clarke has toured the facility more than 15 times.

“It’s one thing to see the drawings. To see it actually come to fruition is that much more exciting,” he said. “You can see the plans becoming reality. It’s a lot of terrific features that people will be proud of.”

By the numbers

• The Orillia Recreation Centre is a $55-million project

• The centre sits on 36 acres of land

• The facility itself covers one-and-a-half acres

• There is seven acres’ worth of parking spaces

• There will be 37 bicycle parking spaces

• There are 21 acres of naturalized area

• Six acres on the site around Ben’s Ditch remain untouched

• In the pool area, there will be seating for 160 people poolside and 220 in the elevated seating