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<urtiamregion.com À CLARINGTON COMMUNITY THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ AUGUST 24,2005 ♦ PAGE 7 #r 1 A weekly in-cle[ at the commuai shape Clarington South Courtice Arena : V fh ' „ A place for everyone Facility has it all BY JULIE CASHIN-OSTER Special to The Statesman COURTICE -- South Courtice Arena is more than just a home to hockey, speed and figure skating. It is also a place where soccer, basketball, sport- ball, March break camps, after-school drop-in programs, Ontario Early Years programs, Krafty Kids and even birthday parties thrive. "When we built the facility we had in mind for it to be more user-friendly for community families," says Mark Sutherland, Sutherland, facilities supervisor for the centre at 1595 Prestonvale Rd. "It is similar to acommunity complex. r"We have a large central location for drafts and a gym that is used by the programming staff, basketball courts and §pccer fields giving the opportunity for qtitdoor recreation," said Mr. Sutherland. Sutherland. i -»"We have lots of room to expand to continue to meet the needs of the community." community." 1 Courtice resident Vicky Caruana was very happy to see the complex built. "Having the arena in Courtice has been a great addition to the recreation activities of our kids," said Ms. Caruana, mother of two future hockey - or perhaps perhaps soccer stars. ; "The arena is in a very convenient location, close to the highway so if you attend a hockey school or power-skate class there,. you're not having to add an extra 15 minutes of travel just to get ; through town. The arena also has camp space which I know some people in the community use and really like, particularly particularly for after-school care, when parents can't get home right after school," she says. t;The arena is also home to the only soccer field in Courtice that has lights^ allowing older teens and adults an opportunity opportunity to play without the drive east all t$e time. j£The arena houses two ice pads: a standard NHL size and an Olympic <j«e. In addition to the 2,000 square foot 'The arena is in a very convenient location, close to the highway so if you attend a hockey school or power-skate class there, you're not having to add an extra 15 minutes of travel just to get through town.' -- Vicky Caruana gymnasium there is a central location for children's programs. Meeting rooms are' also available to rent. No arena would be complete without a food court, concession concession area, pro-shop and heated upper level viewing. It is fully accessible with elevators to the second floor. • One meeting area is conveniently located located upstairs between the two ice pads. "On occasion I have had both children children tin the ice at the same time. It's convenient to be able to walk through the upstairs door to each hockey pad to watch. During hockey tryouts, the room in the middle is often used to inform the family of. players chosen or released. ' The setup is very conducive to this," said Ms. Caruana. Ms. Sutherland commends the Facility Operations staff that is front and centre. "They are running the show from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. South Courtice is the only • arena open all yéar for ice. Staff works in partnership to service the needs of our ■partners in recreation.";.-; '. ,, The Community Services Department has built, a strong working relationship relationship over the years with local community community sport organizations. Partners in recreation with the South Courtice Arena are the Clarington Recreational Hockey League, Bowmanville Figure Skating Club and the Clarington Speed Skating ciub. For more information on what programs programs and activities are being offered ■ this fall at the South Courtice Arena call 905-435-1061 or check out Clarington's Fall Community Guide. . W if <- I '■ ;V': H 8 . «wwHHi r -- ggæ |K|yZ';- atsyjiSi'K I ■V". x. Ife. f ' • J ■ . f. ' , . jj. .. Œhe Canabtan &tate5man Next week in Clarington communities: Bowmanville W .. . M -• ....... • The Canadian Statesman file photo Andrew and Emma Robson took part in the grand opening of south Courtice Courtice Arena when it opened a few years ago. Today residents still eiyoy the convenience of having such a complex close by in the community. Metroland Wm /A Municipal terms, development charges, up for discussion at AMO BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer CLARINGTON - A made-in-Clar- ington idea about longer municipal terms and the Municipality's collection and use of development charges were up for discussion at last week's Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference. The annual event was held in Toronto, with municipal politicians from across the province gathering, to meet with federal and provincial counterparts and gather information on what's new in the municipal world. A motion put forward late last .year by Clarington council, calling for an increase for municipal council terms from three years to four, was a matter of some discussion, said Clarington Mayor John Mutton. "I was trying to determine the status of the four-year term resolution, which I understand has support from (provincial) caucus," said the mayor, noting he heard rumours during the AMO conference that the idea would become reality sometime sometime after the next municipal election, which is set for November 2006. The mayor said politicians from elsewhere elsewhere were interested in Clarington's use of development charges to build recreational facilities. "There was a lot of talk about Clarington's Clarington's development charges, and all the stuff we're producing," he said. "I had a lot of inquiries about what we've been , able to accomplish ... A lot (of other municipalities) go right to the tax base for new recreation complexes." Another topic of discussion was the municipal contention that local taxes are supplementing the provincial budget, said the mayor.. >v "ÂMO is pushing the Province to do something about municipal government subsidizing the provincial government on $3 billion worth of social issues," said Mayor Mutton. "If our budgets need to go up, the reason for it is that we're subsidizing the provincial budget." We're always interested in story ideas If you know an interesting place or person in Clarington that we could profile in The Canadian Statesman, please e-mail news editor Ian McMillan at newsroom@durhamregion.com, ' or call 905-579-4400 ext. 2248. 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