University of Lethbridge recreation facilities are proving to be a hub of activity, and it's not only for students, faculty and staff of the institution.

Lethbridge City Council celebrated the success of a healthy partnership with the U of L Monday after the University presented an update on the community usage rates of their recreation facilities.

"I am pleased to go before council to present them with information on the partnership we have," says Deb Marek, facilities & services manager at the U of L. "We are proud to report that residents' use of these facilities is high."

The University of Lethbridge operates and maintains the Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre, the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness and the Community Sports Stadium.

All facilities received a portion of their construction funding from the City of Lethbridge, with the city continuing to contribute $30,000 dollars annually towards the operation of the Community Sports Stadium.

Highlights from the report include the following statistics.

In the last year:

• The Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre was regularly used by a variety of community groups with 78,000 overall visits to the pool.

• The 1st Choice Savings Centre had 149,500 community pass holder visits (45 per cent of overall visitors) and 4,685 community members with a pass (47 per cent of the total).

• There were an additional 15,500 drop-in community users, and more than 11,000 registrants of all ages in the recreation programs.

• The Community Sports Stadium had over 200 hours of football bookings and over 100 hours of community track practice. In the future it will be hosting the Canada West Rugby Championships, the 2011 Canada Cup of Football and the 2010 Alberta Summer Games.