Multi-million dollar rink & training facility proposed in Dunmore

Presenting in front of Cypress County council, superintendent Roger Clarke said the proposed facility would be used from morning to evening, unlike some facilities in Medicine Hat.

“We’re going to be able to use this resource all day long, as well as the community at large will be using it in those times when school is in a sense, not in session,” said Clarke.

The proposed project would be located next to Eagle Butte High School and would include a full ice surface, fitness centre, training space, classrooms, and seating for 500 spectators.

Clarke said hockey players wouldn’t be the only ones to use the facility however, as the building could support figure skating, lacrosse, ball hockey, and community groups.

“Could be boys scouts and girl guides, it could be dance classes, it could be aerobics,” he said. “It could be going to the fitness centre, which there isn’t one in the Dunmore community at the moment.”

Clarke and other Prairie Rose School Division staff presented to council for just over half an hour, laying out their plans for how the facility would be used.

Reeve Richard Oster said he’s glad to see consideration made for public use of the centre outside of school hours.

“We just felt that if you’re going to do something don’t just do it for one group,” said Oster. “It has to be for more if you’re asking for public money from us, because not everyone does hockey.”

The price tag of the facility is estimated at $10.7 million, with the school division asking for a 50/50 split in cost with Cypress County.

Construction costs are pegged at around $8.3 million, while the remaining $2.4 million would derive from in-kind contributions from the school division.

Prairie Rose School Division is asking for $5.3 million from Cypress County, while annual operating costs of the proposed facility are estimated to be around $300,000 per year.

According to Clarke, the school division has had issues over the past few years in retaining students who choose to pursue sports opportunities at schools in the city.

He said something needs to be done to better growth and improving programming is one way to do that.

“Every time we lose a student, on average we lose $9,600 right?” he said. “So, it’s important if you think about 20 students, what would that math be? It’s significant.”

South Alberta Hockey Academy coach and founder Willie Desjardins said they’ve also seen cases of elite hockey talent leaving the area altogether due to a lack of options.

“If you look at the number of players that have left Medicine Hat to go someplace else to kind of get what they need for hockey,” said Desjardins. “I would hope we can build something here so that they don’t have to go away, that it’s good enough here that they can train.”

Just over 60 students are currently involved with the academy in Irvine, Redcliff, Dunmore and Foremost, with Dunmore students needing to be bused to either Irvine or Redcliff to hit the ice.

That’s cost the school division between $10,000 and $15,000, however they say less time in the classroom due to riding the bus is their main concern.

Desjardins said having a rink, training facility, and classrooms under one roof could do wonders for their recruiting process.

“When you’re out trying to recruit or bring people in and they see that, then they certainly are more willing to send their sons or daughters there,” he said.

If the project is approved, the school division is hoping to apply for up to four teams through the Canadian Sports School Hockey League, which could bring 60 to 80 new students to the Dunmore area.

Cypress County has directed staff to research the proposal further before making a final decision, but Oster said it’s something they should consider.

“We have to make sure we look after the outlying communities, but at the same time Dunmore is growing,” he said. “There’s thoughts that there will be some more housing going in and I think we need to be there for that.”

While a final decision still needs to be made at the municipal level, Clarke is hopeful to see shovels in the ground by the summer of 2020.

He added it’s the community aspect of the training centre that would be the greatest asset to the Dunmore area.

“When we say it’s more than just hockey, it’s clearly more than just hockey,” he said.

by Scott Roblin

Multi-million dollar rink & training facility proposed in Dunmore

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