REGIONAL RECREATIONS FACILITY and K-9 PUBLIC SCHOOL
January 17, 2018
Progress continues on the Strathmore Motor Products Sports Centre
Naming Rights and sponsorships are available which will provide the opportunity for your company to position itself as a community leader associated with the importance of healthly lifestyles. Now is the time to invest in this community project. To become a sponsor or to find our more about this opportunity please contact Sharon McCormick at sharon.mccormick@strathmore.ca or call 403-361-2102.
What is the Regional Recreation Facility (RRF)?
The Regional Recreation Facility is a fieldhouse which will provide needed indoor, year round multigenerational recreation facilities for residents and organized sports groups from Wheatland County and Strathmore to use. The facility is being constructed in conjunction with a new K – 9 public school in a unique partnership between the Town of Strathmore, Wheatland County and the Golden Hills School Division. It will be located at the corner of George Freeman Trail and Edgeview Road.
The facility provides for all types of gymnasium sports including soccer, lacrosse, futsal, pickle ball, volleyball, basketball and badminton. There will be an elevated walking/running track and the facility is being constructed to accommodate trade shows and other special events as well.
Why is the RRF needed?
The population of the Town of Strathmore has increased by 7.9% (2015 Census) since 2012 and projections are for a population of between 21,000 and 28,000 by 2030. And the population of Wheatland County increased 6.1% 2011 – 2016 (Federal Census). In growing regions and communities like Strathmore and Wheatland County there are always infrastructure and community development needs being considered.
Increased population brings an increased interest in recreational opportunities and existing facilities are at capacity or require long travel times. Additional indoor recreation facilities such as a fieldhouse and walking track were identified in both a needs assessment completed by Wheatland County and the 2010 Strathmore Quality of Life Masterplan.
How will the school work sharing space with the fieldhouse?
The school is sized for up to 500 Kindergarten to Grade 9 students with room to expand the building at a later date. The school will have a gymnasium space in the fieldhouse which can also be available to the community when the school is not using it. There are also a number of other shared spaces in the building that are intended to be used by the school during the day and by the community when school is out. With easy access to the fieldhouse during the school day, there will be a number of new programming opportunities available to students.
Why now?
One of the goals identified in the 2014 Strathmore Municipal Development Plan is “To ensure that all opportunities for leveraging of public funds are explored in building, operating and maintaining publicly funded recreation ……..facilities…” The joint partnership to build the RRF is an opportunity that just could not be passed by. Leveraging land donated by Pollyco Developments and the partners’ capital contributions to obtain a new school and a new fieldhouse recreation facility is important for all of the partners. Wheatland County Council has been very supportive of the project and there is general agreement that without this partnership, a new fieldhouse for the region would be years away.
Completion: Summer 2018
How will it be financed?
The three partners are each contributing to the capital cost of the facility:
Town of Strathmore:
- $5,000,000
- $2,000,000 provincial grant
- $1,000.000 reserves
- $2,000,000 debenture
Wheatland County:
- $3,000,000
Golden Hills School Division:
- $2,000,000