The City of Airdrie is moving forward with the process of constructing a new recreation facility in the southwest corner of the community – and will be seeking input from residents this fall through a needs assessment study.
According to Ann Wood, land administrator with the City, the municipality purchased the land for the facility in 2018 for an investment of $6 million, through a partnership with Mattamy Homes and Rocky View Schools (RVS).
“The co-owners’ agreement called for each partner to pay their proportionate share of land acquisition, land planning and land development costs, up to the creation of shovel-ready parcels,” she said.
The land planning phase is already underway, according to Wood, through the leadership of Mattamy with input from the City and RVS, with initial land development tasks expected to begin in 2020. Off-site infrastructure projects, like extending roads and servicing to reach the purchased quarter section, have been scheduled throughout the next few years, she said, with work being completed by 2025.
In the meantime, Wood added, preparation will be underway for the facility that will eventually be developed on the land.
“Planning for Airdrie’s new community recreation facility will include a number of planning processes and involve a wide segment of community stakeholders,” she said. “This will include residents, sport organizations, service groups, clubs and other public organizations.”
According to Wood, the City plans to undertake a Community Recreation Facility Needs Assessment this fall, using broad consultation to gain a better understanding of the community’s top priorities for the new facility.
“The needs assessment will set the foundation for determining the preliminary scope for the new recreation facility’s design, specifically the scale and mix of components,” Wood said.
The results of the study will be presented to council in early 2020, according to Michelle Locke, director of Community Services. From there, the information will be provided to consultants and stakeholders, she said, who will evaluate the feasibility of these priorities and narrow down the elements that will be included in the final design.
“I really hope that we are broadening our stakeholder engagement, because we have more than doubled in size since the last facility was built,” Coun. Candice Kolson said. “From climbing walls to other things that you’re seeing in some of those bigger rec centres, I think Airdrie’s ready for that.”
According to Wood, construction is expected to occur between 2023 and 2025 for an estimated total cost of $85.6 million. As the projected cost was estimated more than a year ago, the number may change prior to the next capital budget, Locke added, and administration is currently undertaking research to reflect updated figures.
