If all goes according to plan, a boarded outdoor skating rink will be completed in the John Paul II Collegiate parking lot by the end of the year.
Acting director of operations and utilities Christa Michailuck told Okotoks Council March 28 that the Town has began discussion with Christ the Redeemer School Division on plans for construction of the rink.
“The Town is pleased to be partnering with Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools on this exciting community project," she said via press release. "We look forward to providing this long-desired amenity to our residents."
On Feb. 28, Council approved the school parking lot site as the location for the amenity, which has repeatedly been identified as desirable.
Michailuck said that plans are being made to reconfigure the current parking situation, as the soon-to-be occupied loop is used for parents to drop off their kids.
The site is owned by the Town and the school division and is zoned as Recreation and Open Space District, which supports the project.
She also explained that liability and insurance rates are of concern for school divisions, so considerations are being made to explore the relocation of the Municipal School Reserve boundary to encompass the rink area, thereby having the area fall under the purview of the Town rather than CTR.
It is expected that the site will be under a joint use agreement, many of which currently exist for both indoor and outdoor facilities to maximize usage.
"That was one of the site considerations – that we wanted a school site – because from our experience, facilities like this would be underutilized if not located in proximity to schools during the day because people are in school and working. So to have it located adjacent to school would help to maximize use, which is desirable in the community."
The rink will be open year-round and available for a variety of uses. It will be flooded during the natural ice season (December to late February). Day-to-day maintenance will be provided by the Town.
Michailuck said a skid steer will be driven down to the site to clear snow from the surface and a water truck would follow up with flooding. She estimates the labour at about 120 hours annually.
A placeholder of $500,000 was established during budget proceedings in November. Michailuck said this amount is sufficient to complete the project as it stands, without additions such as a roof, washroom facilities or a refrigerated ice surface.
It is expected that the project will be at least partially funded from grants from the Canada Community Building Fund and the province's Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI).
The project may exceed that amount if sponsors come forward to contribute additional elements. Mayor Tanya Thorn made a motion that a refrigerated ice service and washrooms not be considered possible additions, given the significant timeline impacts and servicing costs associated with those additions.
That motion was carried unanimously.
