The Mayor of Steinbach is pleased to see the private sector looking to fill some of the needs for recreational facilities in the city. Chris Goertzen is referring to a plan by Les Spence of the Fitness Zone who is surveying the community to determine what he should include in a large new facility he is planning to build.

"It's really encouraging to see the private sector seeing a need and seeing an opportunity and wanting to jump at that. Obviously, council has identified clearly that a field house and multi-

Mayor Chris Goertzenuse facility is a priority for our city and for our citizens and for many user groups. If this can be filled by the private sector, obviously we do want to encourage that. If so, all the better, because there are many other services that we as a city will need to provide."

Meanwhile, Goertzen says there have been no new formal discussions about recreation facilities since the proposal for a Performing Arts Centre lapsed at the end of June.

"Those discussions are more informal and are ongoing. Council will have its study session in mid-November where we'll probably hear more about those type of things and probably hear more from Mr. Spence about his plans. So we look forward to collaborating with these groups and, at the same time, recognizing the fiscal reality that we face and that we have limited resources as a city. At present, council continues to have over $1 million per year set aside for recreation needs in the future. We look forward to creating a plan together and watching this evolve with the private sector, user groups and different levels of government."