Okotoks is one step closer to having a new full-sized skating rink.
An open house on Aug. 4 allowed residents and stakeholders to see architectural designs for the Pason Centennial Arena expansion, set to be completed in January 2018.
The design includes an NHL-size ice rink, three multi-purpose rooms, large open seating areas, a leisure skating surface without boards and a fireplace feature.
Though the public was generally excited about the plans, Okotoks community service director Susan Laurin said she was pleasantly surprised by some of the feedback.
“What’s really interesting is the people we’ve had from Calvanna Village who are super excited about the leisure ice,” said Laurin. “From a senior’s perspective, being able to come and skate throughout the day, sit down at the tables in front of the fireplace and have coffee with their friends, have an old time skating area that people used to have, that’s exciting.”
Many Calvanna residents came out to the open house, to get a sneak peek at what will be built in their backyard over the next year and a half.
Initially their concern was with how traffic and parking would be handled, but the open house answered those questions.
“We wondered about the parking, and I just found out that a third of the parking is behind this arena, which we never knew,” said Marge Flemmer.
She and her husband, Clarence, were both pleased with the plans as they were presented. The leisure ice and additional space for hockey players are both necessary in the community, she said.
“It looks like it’s going to be an excellent facility, and I really feel that they’ve got a good plan in place now,” said Flemmer.
She said she hopes the process runs smoothly through the fall so groundwork can begin before winter sets in.
One of her Calvanna neighbours, Marg Talbot, said she’s impressed with the design and the fact the Town has taken into account the needs of its younger residents and families in developing the site plan.
“They’re really listening to the kids, which is great, as far as wanting more ice,” said Talbot. “The kids are involved in this, it’s their future, and they’ll have their kids grow up here, hopefully.”
With some children having to wake up early on weekdays just to practice, she said the additional ice surface will be a great benefit to the community.
Okotoks father Stewart MacLeod agreed. His children, ages 12 and 10, have been playing hockey for five years and have been faced with sharing ice time with one or two other teams just to have practice.
“When my oldest starting playing peewee we had full ice but to do that we had to do the 6:30 a.m. practices,” said MacLeod. “The only other options are driving to Stavely late in the evening or the Black Diamond outdoor rink.”
He said the arena will be great for their family and provide a better hockey experience for his children.
Laurin said the new rink will be used primarily for minor hockey practices and league games. Major events, such as Oilers or Bisons games, will still take place on the original Pason ice or at the Murray Arena, she said, because of limited seating.
Seating for 300 will be provided on the second level of the expansion, overlooking the new ice, she said. It’s twice the size of the Piper Arena and just under half capacity of the Murray Arena, which seat 750.
“It’s going to be a nice size for the minor hockey and figure skating groups we intend to book into it,” said Laurin.
One of the best features of the design is the entryway, she said. Skaters will enter through a large open lobby and through a hallway to the dressing room, which exits directly toward the ice.
“When people come in with their muddy shoes and bags with wheels and track all that mud and then have to walk through it with skates, it’s not good for the ice,” said Laurin. “This will keep our ice clean and high-quality, so I think minor hockey and our higher-level skaters are going to appreciate not having dirt tracked onto the ice.”
She said the biggest design hurdle the Town has had to jump was regarding parking. A council-directed parking analysis early in 2015 revealed there would be no issue at the site.
The overflow parking behind the current Pason Centennial Arena is rarely full, she said, so part of the plan is to direct more people toward the rear of the building and alleviate some concerns with parking on the street.
She said there are contingency plans in place in the case of multiple events taking place at the same time.
“We have a joint-use agreement with the school we could invoke, so we could use the school’s parking lot as well,” said Laurin.
For those who park behind the building, the site design includes a pathway between the arena expansion and the Foothills Centennial Centre (FCC), she said.
“People can come through the side and go into the FCC or the arena, so they don’t have to walk all the way around,” said Laurin.
The plans will be presented to the municipal planning commission on Aug. 18. Pending approval, the permitting process will follow and the Town expects to break ground at the end of September, she said.
