Over the last few months users at the Memorial Sports Complex might have noticed piles of bricks under tarps in the halls, these bricks now form privacy walls in the six of the arenas’ public dressing rooms (four in Ice for Kids and two in ‘52 Canadians).
According to Manager and Operations Manager for the Town of Fort Frances, Travis Rob, the request for these privacy partitions was made by user groups looking for additional privacy.
The Fort Frances Girls and Women’s Hockey Association (FFGWHA) was one such user group, Aimee Matheson is the Association’s President, she says that the public access to the change rooms in the arena has been a concern for the Association in the past.
“The FFGWHA has long been concerned about the public access to the pool being routed through the change room hallway at the Memorial Sports Centre,” Matheson wrote in an emailed statement. “This has been a problem for a while, but with the high enrollment numbers in girls’ hockey this year, it became increasingly difficult to manage which change rooms were being used. With boys teams scheduled immediately before or after our ice times, the resulting traffic problems highlighted the issue even more.”
The doors of the change rooms could be easily opened by anyone passing by and potentially expose athletes, oftentimes children, in various states of undress; these walls offer some additional privacy, Matheson wrote.
“Opening the change room doors to enter or exit could expose players in various states of dress to anyone passing by,” she wrote. “If this building were constructed to today’s standards, the Ontario Building Code would require public privacy measures, such as ensuring change rooms are not visible from public spaces like hallways or entry points, through better placement and the use of opaque barriers.”
While not addressing the Times in a professional capacity, Matheson is a Professional Engineer and Lead of Capital Projects for the Rainy River District School Board, according to her LinkedIn page.
Matheson added that the prevalence of cell phones and social media has increased the danger of cell phone cameras around people who are changing clothes.
She says that the solution is helpful but not perfect, the walls don’t block the entire view of the changeroom through the door.
“The recently installed privacy walls might not be a perfect solution, but they are a step in the right direction,” Matheson said. “We are pleased that the Recreation and Culture Manager and the Manager of Operations & Facilities worked with us to address these concerns and implement a solution that improves privacy and safety for all facility users.”
