Proposed Multi-Use Recreation Facility

A condition assessment on the current facility has been completed by Dialog and presented to the Steering Committee. The report can be viewed below.

• YCE Project - Condition Assessment Report

With the condition assessment complete, the current site has been selected to construct the project.

Phase 1 of construction will begin in the summer of 2024 and will focus on accommodating ongoing use of the existing Edson and District Leisure Centre throughout construction. This will include the construction of a new ice arena and aquatics area, including lane and leisure swimming, scheduled for completion in Spring 2026.

Phase 2 will see the demo of the existing Aquatics Centre.

Phase 3 will incorporate the construction of a new lobby, and a gymnasium that includes an elevated walking track.

Phase 4 will see project completion through renovations to the current Centennial Arena and the conversion of the Memorial Arena to a new curling facility, as well as final site servicing.

The full project is expected to be completed by Summer 2027.

The capital cost of this project is being cost-shared 50-50 between the Town of Edson and Yellowhead County.

$20 million of this project is being funded through a Federal Infrastructure Canada Grant.

The remaining $60.24 million of this proposed $80.24 million project will come from a combination of Provincial Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) grant money and municipal funding (approx. $30.12 million Yellowhead County and County MSI grants / approx. $30.12 million Town of Edson and Edson MSI funding).

The operational split will be 60-40 Town-County based on an operational agreement being drafted.

The Town of Edson plans to use a combination of savings and $9-million in borrowed money to cover our portion of the construction costs. This means Edson residents and business owners can expect to see an increase in taxes to cover the cost of the borrowed funds and anticipated operational expenses.

2006 – 2007 – “Conrad Report” – Detailed facility study and public consultation conducted by Paul Conrad and Associates indicate a multi-use complex is a priority for a majority of the public in and around Edson.

Spring 2017 - Public Engagement began for the joint Edson and Area Community Services Strategic Plan. The report was to focus on

• Parks and Recreation
• Arts and Culture
• Museums and Archives
• Library Services

Surveys were conducted and Open Houses held, as well as a real focus at the Trade Show that year.  Nearly 800 households participated.

September 2017 – Edson and Area Community Services Strategic Plan Final report complete (Volume 1 / Volume 2)

Some key findings

The community is at a key decision point: The municipalities find themselves at a crossroads of opportunity – a time when existing facilities are at or are approaching end of life and will need replacing or refurbishing, when solid growth is expected in the region and population requirements will increase, and when renewed co-operation makes it possible to join resources and plans

And a Fundamental Choice: The choice is whether to invest in the maintenance of existing infrastructure or use this opportunity to think broadly and reframe the offerings for future generations.

Strong support for a new community complex: Citizens are remarkably aligned in their comments, both in defining need and determining the next step.  There is strong support for a new multi-purpose community centre and a recognition that there will be a need to develop and implement a reasonable funding strategy involving multiple partners

Recommendations have been developed to deal with four areas:

• A multi-purpose community centre;
• Consolidation of existing facilities;
• Changes in programming; and
• Joint management of future facilities and programs

April 2018 - Memorandum of Understanding reached between Town of Edson and Yellowhead County for the construction of a new facility.

The agreement

• A 50‐50 cost share in the capital costs of a new facility,
• A 60‐40 Town‐County split in operational costs,
• Each partner will have an equal say in operations, and
• An operational agreement to be drafted as the process moves forward.

October 2018 – Edson and YC Council’s award tender for architectural services for the Multi-Use Facility to Stantec Architecture of Edmonton.

The amenities that are included for consideration in this project are:

• Two standard ice rinks with boards
• Aquatics facility - minimum 6 lane/25-meter pool, child pool, lazy river, waterslide, hot tub, and sauna/steam room
• 4 sheet curling surface
• Gymnasium - multi-sport court – basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer, pickleball etc.
• Walking track and a fitness area - studio room(s), area for weights and equipment etc.
• Adequate storage to support each service area
• Basic skate sharpening/pro shop and food service provision areas

The additional features that may be considered for including as part of the facility are a:

• Climbing wall
• Indoor playground
• Multi-use rooms/meeting spaces
• Seating capacity in the aquatics facility (preferably mobile/temporary)
• FCSS Parent Link Centre
• Leisure skating pond
• Lease space-additional food service – e.g. Booster Juice, Tim Horton’s, Dairy Queen, restaurant/lounge, etc.
• Lease space - private paramedical services (i.e. physiotherapy, chiropractic, etc.), Boy & Girls Club, Primary Care Network
• Teen drop-in area

February 2019 – The joint Town of Edson and Yellowhead County Steering Committee agreed to the project scope, location, timeline, and cost of the proposed Multi-Use Recreation Complex to be constructed in Edson, at Griffiths Park. The chosen location will be ideal for future expansion and parking considerations.

The project is estimated to cost $70 million. After a thorough review process, the facility’s detailed design is planned to commence in late 2019 and construction anticipated to commence in 2022.

The Steering Committee is confident that the timelines set out for this project will allow our communities to gauge and plan fiscally—so that this exciting new initiative can be accommodated with limited tax implications.

April 2019 – The Steering Committee announced the commencement of a detailed geotechnical review of the Griffiths Park site, as well as some public information sessions. Edson Trade Show – April 26-27 and an Open House at the Galloway Station Museum May 9^th.

June/July 2019 - RC Strategies conducted a Regional Multi-Use Recreation Facility Survey to gather input on the project, as well as support based on the anticipated tax implications. The survey was sent out to all Town of Edson tax rolls.

August 2019 - Edson Town Council reviewed the Multi-Use Facility Survey results. In total 716 responses were gathered from the 3,106 postcards that were sent out. This represents a response rate of approximately 23%.

2019 Multi-Use Facility Survey Report

September 2019 - Updated tax implication numbers were presented to Council based on an adjusted capital plan and more realistic operational cost estimates. Original operational estimates were found to be quite high when compared to actual data obtained from other similar facilities.

Communications plans surrounding the project were also presented to Council at the September 10th Committee of the Whole meeting.

January 2020 - Detailed geotechnical studies at Griffiths Park site indicate increased development costs of the Griffiths Park location. With the increased costs at that site, the steering committee felt that a new review of all reasonable options was necessary.

February 2020 - The Town of Edson and Yellowhead County Councils have selected a new site for the Multi-Use Recreation Facility Project. Both Councils confirmed a site north of the Hillendale subdivision as the official location for the new project moving forward.

December 2020 - Turnbull Construction Project Managers was awarded the Recreation Facility Project Management Contract.

March 2021 - Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) was posted for Design Build Contractors

May 2021 - The Town and County narrowed the Design Build Contractor list to three proponent teams: Clark Builders & TBD Architecture + Urban Planning, EllisDon & Stantec + HCMA, and PCL & GEC Architecture.

April 2022 - Both the Town of Edson and Yellowhead County rejected the 2 proposals brought forth due to budget concerns. The Steering Committee will meet to discuss next steps to move the project forward.

June 2022 - Proposals were received to evaluate the possibility of revamping the existing Edson and District Leisure Centre to see how it could be upgraded and worked into the community needs and program requirements. A consultant will now conduct a condition assessment for major building components and complete a conceptual design and cost estimate. The updated plan is expected to be complete by December 2022.

September 2022 - A facility condition assessment was completed by Dialog Architecture and Engineering to determine the potential to adapt and reuse the Edson and District Leisure Centre for the YCE Multi-Use Facility. The report indicates that the current Leisure Centre has much potential for renovation and re-use, with the exception of the swimming pool. 

December 2022 - On December 13, 2022, the Town and County selected a preferred concept to continue to develop and move forward with. This design proposes a new aquatic centre, one new ice surface (arena), while renovating the existing Centennial Arena for ice hockey and other sports, and Memorial Arena to a curling rink facility. The concept also envisions a new gym space, walking track and major renovations to the lobby, common areas and parking areas. This concept also allows construction to proceed with minimal disruption of aquatics and ice arena programming, while the new construction is completed. Both Councils additionally directed administration to further investigate costing options for a second ice arena.

April 2023 - The Town and County received confirmation that the grant amendment was approved by the Federal government, and planning on the redevelopment to the Leisure Centre can continue.

In addition, after a competitive bid process, Tango Management Group was contracted as the Project Manager and is working with Dialogue Design to get up to speed on the project.

September 2023 - The Town and County selected Alberta-based GEC Architecture as the design firm for the architectural and design functions on the YCE Multiplex project.

January 2024 - Following a thorough evaluation process, Clark Builders, a renowned construction management and general contracting company, has been appointed the construction manager for this project.

Why not just build on the current site?

• This is now the site selected for construction.

Will there be more public feedback opportunities?

• Much of the public input for this project was completed in 2017 with the Edson and Area Community Services Strategic Plan. At that time, user groups were consulted and nearly 800 households (representing approximately 2686 people) from across Edson and Yellowhead County provided feedback to help us shape the core of this Multi-Use Facility design. More information on the study can be found in the History section above.
  We will continue to share information on the project as it progresses.

Why is there such a long timeline before construction starts?

• The timeline has shifted with the bids coming in over budget and a change in the planned location. The project is expected to start construction in 2024 and take approximately 3 years.