Re: "City eyes twin rink support of up to $1.5M," The Gazette, Feb. 2.
The outdoor recreation facility Active Communities is bringing to St. Albert will be phenomenal. The vision and community leadership this local non-profit has shown are to be commended. It was this same grassroots community spirit that built St. Albert’s Ducky Dome in the 1970s.
I don’t think we realize the massive benefit this outdoor rec facility will bring to our community. I have followed this project closely for the past year and would like to share some insights.
For starters it’s going to be a year-round facility with twin ice refrigerated rinks for six months of the year and hard playing surfaces the other six months. The number of sports and leisure activities the facility can be used for is immense. I watched the video Active Communities recently posted on its website and it showed many similar facilities in other communities, and these are extremely popular.
As someone who has had children in minor hockey, I take exception to Mayor Cathy Heron’s comment in The Gazette regarding ice time. I can attest to the extensive travel St. Albert teams must do because of the lack of ice time in our city. Teams are paying upwards of $300 an hour to practice in arenas 45 minutes away. The cost is far more than just dollars. It is also the white-knuckling on rural winter roads, having to pull kids out of school early to get there on time, and wasted time away from family. I would much rather see my children practice at the refrigerated outdoor facility in St. Albert at a fraction of the cost.
And finally, most importantly — our community needs something positive coming out of the pandemic. An outdoor recreation facility that will serve as a community gathering place for all ages is precisely what the doctor ordered.
The location within St. Albert has been a point of discussion. The city advised Active Communities to pursue non-city land. Given this, it would be unjustified to complain to Active Communities about the location, as it was the city who essentially told them to look for non-city land.
To their credit, Active Communities did find a site on non-city land next to Paul Kane High School. They have since solidified a 35-year lease agreement with the school district for the land. This location has the highest concentration of schools in the city and will benefit thousands of students through school programming. This is the definition of a win-win.
I applaud city council for supporting this project with a 6-1 vote. The benefits are vast, and I know our family is looking forward to having this important asset added to our community.
Karen Hach, St. Albert
