The building that once housed Golden Timber Frames could soon become the home of indoor soccer players, roller girls and other sports teams in the Columbia Valley.
Located just off Highway 93/95, the former manufacturing facility has been largely unused since its former owners entered receivership. But for several months a group of athletically-minded locals have been in talks with the space’s new owners to turn the building into a training centre for athletic groups.
“The landowners have offered us a really, really reasonable rate if we’re able to get enough groups to fill it,” says group member and district councillor Justin Atterbury. “It could be really good.”
So far, Invermere’s Killer Rollbots roller derby team is the first group to officially sign on to use the space. But Atterbury says another half dozen teams have also expressed some interest in joining up.
“There has been some talk about indoor soccer, there’s been talk about seniors’ lawn bowling. There’s been talk about all sorts of different stuff, lots of ideas,” says Atterbury. “And it’s for training as well. It’s not going to be somewhere where you go hang out and skate and then pay $5. It’s more for groups that need to train.”
Though the idea is still in its early stages, Atterbury says the group’s plan is to form a recreation committee to represent all the user groups. One or two representatives from that group would then deal with current landowners Max Helmer Construction Ltd., streamlining the monthly rent paying process.
Though Atterbury is on Invermere District Council, the rec centre plan doesn’t involve the district financially or administratively at present time.
“Our goal is to organize groups that need a place to train or practice and do it in a way so that it’s viable for them, and for the landowner so they’re not dealing with six or seven different groups, they deal with one person,” he says.
Atterbury says his goal is to see at least half a dozen teams sign on to use the space to start with, with room to add more — practice times and space depending — in the future.
“Ideally we could get more in — just different groups that could overlap and used the facility at the same time,” he says.
“But it’s just more of an experimental basis right now. If we can find six or seven groups to fill the budget and there’s room for four or five more, that just brings everyone’s fees down.”
The building, located at Capilo Way on Shuswap Indian Band Land, is approximately 300 by 60 feet with a concrete floor. Atterbury invites teams interested in looking at the space to contact him at his business, The Rocky River Grill (250-342-8885), to discuss space needs and training times.
The space is also open to groups based in Radium, Windermere and other local communities.