Three bounce houses, mini hockey nets and several other activities are available for children at the Kidz Zone starting July 3 at the arena. (Nikita Ganovicheff/meadowlakeNOW)

By Nikita Ganovicheff

New Place To Play

City opens arena for summer with Kidz Zone and pickleball courts

Jul 3, 2019 | 8:00 AM

Kids have a new place to play during the summer as the city opens up a play space in the Meadow Lake arena.

Children aged two to 10 can enjoy hula hoops, mini hockey, soccer nets and three bounce houses with a fourth on its way. The Kidz Zone opens July 3 and costs $4 per session.

Parks and Recreation Manager Robin Mitchell said the arena will be open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“It gives kids the opportunity to blow off steam whether it’s raining or super hot on the outside,” Mitchell said.

All children will need to have their socks on to take part in the play space and an extra pair can be bought at the arena if a child has forgotten them.

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Cassidy Lehoux (left), Brianne Lehoux (middle) and Leila Mitchell (right) will be running the Kidz Zone and pickleball courts at the arena. (Nikita Ganovicheff/meadowlakeNOW)

The Kidz Zone is part of a pilot project by the city to increase facility usage over the summer. The city received a $10,000 grant in June to cover the program’s start up costs.

“What we’re looking to try and do is increase the usage in the facilities that might otherwise lay dormant over certain periods of time throughout the year and also increase activities for families, kids, seniors and adults alike to be involved in,” Mitchell said.

Two Pickleball courts will be open on the opposite end of the arena starting July 10. The city will supply the balls, paddles and nets for those looking to play.

“It’s a great game,” Mitchell said. “It’s an opportunity for individuals or teams of two to be able to face off against one another and a lot of laughter and a lot of youth gets found on those pickleball courts.”

While the arena is the only facility the city is programming this summer, Mitchell said it can lead to future programs for other underused facilities.

“The hope is that this is the start of many different programming opportunities,” Mitchell said. “Whether it’s in the off hours of the outdoor rink, maybe we put in an outdoor pickleball court. The bouncers will always be inside but there’s several other activities that we would like to try and explore and add in to the programming ability here in Meadow Lake.”

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nikita.ganovicheff@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @Nikitaganov