Spray Lakes Sawmills Family Sports Centre (SLSFSC) and the original Cochrane arena are governed by a volunteer board on behalf of their joint owners: the Town of Cochrane and Rocky View County.
The volunteer board is composed of nine volunteer directors; I have the privilege of serving on it as the town’s representative. The Spray Lake Sawmills Recreation Park Society was originally formed in 2001 to manage the original Cochrane Arena and Totem 1 Arena, and many years of growth have followed. In 2004, the Society spearheaded the construction of the field house with an indoor track, turf, gymnasium and gymnastics centre. In 2009, the Society oversaw the construction of Totem 2 and 3 arenas, several multi-program spaces and third party tenants.
Up until 2016, the society had operated on a user-pay model, generating enough revenue from user group rentals, third-party tenants, memberships, drop-ins and registered programs to cover all their operating costs, with a small surplus each year, which they were very proud of. In 2015 the Town of Cochrane decided to add an aquatic centre, therapy pool, curling centre, fitness centre, outdoor spray park, several new third-party tenants, and multi-programmable space to the existing facility.
Fast forwarding to September 2018, the latest expansion has been open for just over a year and by all accounts, is very well received. The facility has 2,500 plus memberships, which equates to approximately 4,500 Cochrane and county residents. Weekly, the facility offers 170 plus drop-in programs and activities for residents ranging in age from a few months to users in their 90s.
This past year, there were approximately 70,000 drop-in users and in excess of 250,000 member check-ins. Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre (SLSFSC) is one very busy place where people come to be inspired and find opportunities to enhance their well-being. If you haven’t had the opportunity to drop by, I would like to encourage you to stop by and try out the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre (SLSFSC), because it can literally change your life.
