Hockey Academy seeks $10M Dunmore arena

By Collin Gallant on September 19, 2018.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com @CollinGallant

A proposal to build a new $10-million arena in Dunmore — attached to Eagle Butte High School to bolster its new hockey academy program — is the dream for Prairie Rose School Division, officials told Cypress County council Tuesday.

Preliminary plans unveiled Tuesday show multi-purpose rooms for public use in a facility built on an under-used baseball field north of the high school.

Even with a goal of fundraising $1 million, the county’s share would be about $5 million — a “big ask” according to county councillors.

School officials however, say they need a partner, need to foster the academy and want to provide a community facility and recreation space in a hamlet that currently has none.

“There’s all sorts of community space in this proposal,” said PRSD superintendent Roger Clarke. “It needs to be thought of as a community space, rather than a sheet of ice.”

Clarke described the presentation as exploratory, meaning that securing a partnership for costs is crucial before more planning takes place or a schedule is determined.

Cost, preliminary estimates would see the county cover half the $10.4-million cost. It comes at a time when officials are already discussing capital maintenance work at the Irvine arena, and possible recreation masterplan for the region around Medicine Hat.

“It’s an ambitious project,” said Reeve Richard Oster. “I think there will be room for us to participate, but there needs to be a conversation with the public.”

Deputy Reeve Dan Hamilton, who represents Dunmore, says he also needs to discuss the issue with residents.

Other councillors were less enthusiastic.

“It’s a big ask,” said Coun. Darcy Geigle, who represents Irvine-Walsh district. “I said it’s a lot of money to spend on something that will lose money every year (an estimated $83,000 in operating deficit).”

The county currently provides about $400,000 per year in equal shares to City of Medicine Hat and Redcliff in recognition that its residents use rec facilities in other jurisdictions.

“It’s all the same pie,” said Geigle.

Coun. Robin Kurpjuweit said financing the county’s share of the project, rather than accessing reserve funds, would lessen the costs in any given year, but could lead to positive growth in the already growing hamlet.

“There has to be a way to gauge the impact,” he said.

School and academy officials say the benefit would extend to the general community, creating a sense of place and pride in the hamlet east of Medicine Hat.

Clarke said the facility would help draw students to the program, students to bolster generally declining student population at the school and provide rec space for the community.

The hope, said Clarke, is also to maintain ice time close to Irvine School and Parkside Junior High — time is contracted at the Irvine Rink and Redcliff RecTangle, to support all rinks near schools. The program is already expanded to Foremost and will begin in Bow Island in the 2019-20 school year.

Eventually, the junior highs feed Eagle Butte, and a dedicated rink there could grow enrolment to between 60 and 80 high school students, alone, over several years.

“We want to set up a program in which we attract athletes from all over,” said Willie Desjardins, who heads the academy. “There’s nothing like it in the area and it’s needed.”

The academy was only announced in July to begin operations this school year. Current enrolment is 45 at three schools — Eagle Butte, and junior highs in Redcliff and Irvine. High school students are bused to those locations in a round trip that lasts an hour or more.

In the $10.4-million preliminary budget, about $2.4 million is made up of land for the building and parking lot, as well as a sewage lagoon.

Prairie Rose hopes to fundraise another $1 million and arrange to finance its remaining share of $2 million.

Even with community rentals and day use of the ice surface, the facility is expected to lose about $83,000 per year on operations — about standard for public arenas — not including concessions. The school is proposing cost sharing of that operating cost with the county.

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