The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Editor: I am writing to publicly voice my support for the proposed Community Plex that is currently in the works. What a super looking facility for our forward thinking communities! We need this new facility for the ongoing health and well being of individuals in our region. It is a wonderful, unconditional service offered to people regardless of age, and mobility. It is so convenient with a number of recreation opportunities under one roof. An entire family can attend for an evening and take one car. Grandma could go to the senior center while Dad and Grandpa have coffee and watch the older children in a swim lesson. Mom could take the baby to the pre-school play area and visit with her friends. Less running from facility to facility for families in different activities. The services provide even more opportunities for recreation. For example, we currently attend the Wednesday morning playgroup at Community Hall. This is only once a week and sometimes less if the hall is unavailable. With the Community Plex, we could attend many more days of the week and at different times. We could even go from play group, to the pool in the same morning! How exciting! I see the center as an opportunity for the socialization of people of different ages. Seniors and children are a fantastic combination. Within the same building, opportunity exists for fostering new relationships between the two age groups with activities like sharing stories and singing songs. In my mind, the more adults that are around to offer children positive regard and interactions, the better. For the elderly, what an opportunity to share in the joy of watching children learn and grow. For all, improved mental health, socialization and fostered resiliency. The Community Plex design will likely spark children's interest in new activities that they will be exposed to. Children who use the pool can watch a curling game after they swim and I believe that this will encourage interest and enthusiasm about sports that are new to the child (and maybe some adults too!). The design of the Community Plex means that adults will have more convenient time for recreation with less running around to participate in activities of their own, particularly if child care is available at the Community Plex as planned. With obesity on the rise in children and adults, we need to make a conscious effort to shut off the TV and exercise and recreate. How lucky we are in our communities to likely have a new facility to do this in! When it is -30C for days on end and hard to get outside for fun, the Community Plex offers us a solution all under one roof. A pool that will feel like we are at the beach! That is perfect! My family and I support the work of the committee and we will use the facility! I believe that if we build it, people will come and use it. This includes a number of people who now come to Flin Flon to shop. Many will make a weekend out of it, spend money in our community and recreate at the Community Plex. Kudos to the Community Plex committee for their efforts to date. Sincerely, Hillary Cooper
