Squash players should not lose one of their two courts in the renovations to the Jasper Activity Centre, according to the Town's culture and recreation committee.

The recommendation was made at the July 8 culture and recreation meeting, with the board unanimously supporting the move. Instead, the board is directing the activity centre architects to incorporate a new climbing wall inside the proposed weight room, leaving the squash courts for the time being.

The decision was required after the climbing community asked that one of the squash courts be transformed into a climbing wall as part of the renovations. Due to the high ceilings, the extra height would have allowed the climbers to perform a variety of different techniques on the indoor wall, such as high rope work, and allow Parks Canada public safety workers to train in the facility.

The climbers don't want to lose the opportunities for high rope work, and a high wall would be used, said project manager Christopher Read.

Read said the wall proved to be the most contentious issue with the activity centre renovations, as climbing wall and squash court usage is similar, despite the fact the climbing club has more members than the squash club. A new climbing wall still won't be able to provide the same height as a wall in the squash court, Read said, however the difference would only be one or two metres. He noted how that does make a difference, but said the decision could be revisited in the future if squash numbers drop.

Rope work is not the main focus of an indoor climbing wall, he said. My recommendation is to put it in the new facility and not reduce service.

"The new facility will have a 45 x 14 foot roof, and the climbing wall will be incorporated with the weight room," Read said.

"You'll be able to see the climbers on the wall from the room. Climbers will be able to use a treadmill, then the wall as part of a circuit," Read said.

"Incorporating the climbing wall with the gym will also allow the town to program it and allow for greater supervision, which helps keep insurance costs down," Read said.

Allowing for high rope work would also require additional certification for activity centre staff.

Read said maintaining the squash program is important to the community, and he didn't want to see a repeat of what happened in Edson.

Edson went down to one court and the usage died. Now they have no court, Read said.

This is the right compromise.

The committee agreed with Read's assessment, and told the architects, Toker and Associates, to incorporate the recommendation into the design of the building.

Squash club member Geno Tassoni said he's thrilled with the decision.

"Squash is starting to grow in popularity again. It's crucial to have two courts. We often play round robins and host tournaments and there's nothing to say we can't do that again," Tassoni said.

Tassoni has been playing with the same group of squash veterans for about 20 years. He said going down to one court would have killed the sport in Jasper.

"Club nights often have both courts going for three or four hours a night. Once the winter rolls around, both courts are booked. You have to call a week in advance," he said. "Why wreak it by closing it down?"