Updated: February 2, 2023
Capital Projects - Recreation Facilities
Information about recreational facility projects will be posted here. Please click each project information or FAQ section of interest to you for more information on each project.
Aquatic Centre - UPGRADES INFORMATION
The city works hard to continue to maintain the Aquatic Centre so that it is not only a comfortable environment for staff and users, but so that it will continue to last well into the future.
Capital upgrades for the 2023 year are planned to address issues regarding excessive heat in the summertime.
An expense is considered a Capital expense if it is known that it will extend the life expectancy of a facility and meets a certain threshold in dollar value.
The pie chart shows the capital expenses planned for the Aquatic Centre in 2023.
- New Slide (2022): Due to supply issues and provincial health requirements some of the 2022 work for installing the new pool slide has had to be pushed into 2023.
- Sunshade: This will add sunshades to help decrease the heat that pours through the windows in the pool area.
- Automated Controller Replacement: The automated unit that controls the temperature needs to be replaced.
- Air Conditioner: There are two units for this facility, Unit A is being replaced in 2023.
Connecting Communities Path - PROJECT INFORMATION
A grant was received in 2021 to construct a path to join the path in our Lions Park to the path on Flying Dust. The project continues with the preparation of wayfinding signage, some lighting, and some landscaping work to be installed/completed in the spring of 2023 as soon as the weather allows. With some savings found in other areas of the project we were able to increase the planned lighting over the original 10 lights.
Recreation Manager Regan Beck is still on the hunt for more donors and sponsors! For more information or to donate or sponsor the project contact Rec Manager, Regan Beck at recmanager@meadowlake.ca.
Walking Path - Final Approved Route
The photo below depicts the final route the path will take. For more information and details on the chosen route, please review the overview document "Walking Path - Final Path Route" for zoomed in details of each section with written explanations.
Recreation & Civic Centre (Arena) - PROJECT INFORMATION
Updated - February 1, 2023
In fall of 2021 the City applied for a grant under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). This application was to construct not just a replacement for the Arena that burned down in the summer of 2021, but to develop a multi-purpose facility that could provide enhanced programming and services to the community and surrounding region.
We received official grant approval in fall of 2022 and are moving forward with this once in a generation project.
User groups and stakeholder groups have been engaged and discussions on what the community needs and wants from this new facility have taken place. We have prepared the scope of work with our consultants and have created the owner's statement of the new facility's requirements, room adjacencies, etc.
In 2022 we issued an open public Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to prequalify Design-Build companies which closed. The city issues tenders like this one on sasktenders.ca. We had eight companies respond to this RFQ.
The City chose the top three companies based on criteria like experience, qualifications, etc. The official tender (Request for Proposals (RFP)) was issued to those three companies (Bird, Wright and Quorex) and they have been asked to submit Design-Build proposals for the project. This RFP process will take approximately 10 weeks to work through.
We hope potentially have shovels in the ground in the Summer of 2023.
The goal of the project is substantial completion by fall/winter of 2024 (at least for the main arena portion).
Please review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) below for this project.
Recreation & Civic Centre (Arena) - FAQ
Q: What are the proposed areas that might be built as part of the new Recreation and Civic Centre and how have they been prioritized?
A: The following elements prioritized from #1 to #5 were included as part of the initial grant application for the new facility. Council used a 2020 community survey and information such as existing building conditions to inform this process.
1: Arena
2: Core (Admin Space)
3: Field House
4: Event Centre
5: Pleasure Skating Rink
At a special meeting held on March 2, 2023, after careful consideration of available budget, Council decided to pull the proposed Pleasure Skating Rink (which is projected to cost around $2-3million) from the scope of work for this project.
The three companies bidding on the project (Bird, Quorex and Wright) have been asked to get creative with their proposals to give the City as many of the requested elements as possible for the budget we have. In other words, give us the most value for dollar possible. We understand that further sacrifices to the scope may yet be required, but it was felt that by removing the pleasure rink it would give the three companies more flexibility in their design and give us our best chance of getting as many quality elements as we can.
The field house and event centre are sort of tied at number three but something had to go first so Council selected the field house as the third priority. However, the design-build companies have been asked to provide the best value for our dollar so, they could return designs that include some or all of elements #2-4 in any order, in addition to the rink. We won’t really know until those submissions come in. Proposals will be submitted to the City on April 6th, 2023.
Q: What other options were considered by the city for the new facility??
A: The ICIP (Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program) grant funding is not unlimited. There was a set limit to the overall funds that were available under the grant program. The more money the city asked for to construct a new facility, the less there was in the pot to go around to other communities in the province who we were also competing with for this funding. Therefore, Council had to make some tough choices in deciding what the priorities for this facility would be. There is the opportunity to add on to the facility in future years.
There were a number of options suggested by the community that were discussed by Council including a new library space, curling rink, community outreach services, squash courts, etc. There was also discussion on trying to see if we could have the capability to add on a future Aquatic Centre when our current one reaches the end of its life span. There were so many great ideas proposed by the community, and your elected representatives had a difficult decision choosing the priorities for this project.
Q: Is the grant for the new Recreation and Civic Center also paying for a new City Hall?
A: The “Core” area covered in the grant funding contains recreation admin offices, ticket/service counter spaces, security area, and meeting space. That said, the Core is also being designed with enough space within it to encompass a new City Hall area, but finishing the City Hall portion is NOT part of the grant funding (because it is ineligible). The outfitting of a new city hall space within this new facility will be under separate contract with the company building it. The actual fitting out of the City Hall space will be done by the City, with City funds, outside of the grant funding. The only thing the grant funding pays for is the exterior shell of the entire Core space, and access points to facility infrastructure that City Hall would need access to.
We understand that further sacrifices to the scope may yet be required based on the budget we have, and we won’t know for certain which of the proposed elements of the facility will be built until we see the proposed plans. Other than the arena of course, the arena is the top priority for this facility.
Q: Will there be sporting goods store and a gym/fitness centre in the new facility?
A: We have requested that the proposed design for the facility include a space for skate sharpening and possible renting or loaning of skates for those that don’t have them. There will not be a sporting goods store in the new facility as businesses like this are already established in our area. There will also be no commercial gym or fitness centre for the same reason. However, we are hoping to have a field house in the new facility which is a gymnasium type space, with courts for volleyball, basketball, pickleball and indoor soccer, a walking track, locker rooms, and some studio space for programs and activities. While there may, at some point, be some equipment like free weights in this field house space, they are not part of this plan.
Q: What will this facility cost?
A: Due to the rise in construction costs since 2021 when the grant was first applied for, cost is now our biggest challenge.
In the fall of 2022 we announced approval of a grant to help us build the new facility totaling $37.3 million. Broken down into the following:
- $14.9M Federal
- $12.4M Provincial
- $10 M Municipal
City Council has committed an additional $5M outside of the grant funding to make a total project budget of $42.3M.
Q: When will we get our new facility?
A: The tender process we entered into at the end of January 2023 will take about 10 weeks or so, into late spring. We hope to have boots on the ground this summer, and completion of arena portion of the facility by fall of 2024. Under the grant the whole facility must be complete by March 2025.
Q: Who has provided input into this project?
A: Last fall multiple stakeholders and user groups were asked to participate in developing the scope of the project. They were asked about their requirements for a new facility, including the kinds of spaces and amenities they’d like to see, the layout, levels of access, capacity, and so on. We also have an advisory group made up of appointees who have been assisting and will continue to assist in the project throughout construction.
- Q: Which user/stakeholder groups were contacted to provide input?
- A: A number of user groups and stakeholder groups were invited to complete a survey on their use and needs of a new facility, and appoint a representative to attend an in-person engagement session. The following groups were contacted in the fall. There may be additional groups who have been contacted for specific input since that time.
-
Group Representing Ice Users - Hockey Senior Hockey Ice Users - Hockey Minor Hockey Ice Users - Hockey Men's Rec Hockey Ice Users - Hockey Ladies Rec Hockey Ice Users - Hockey In-line Hockey Ice Users - Skating Figure Skating Accessibility-Seniors Multi-Works Accessibility-Seniors Meadow Lake Pensioner and Senior Citizens Organization Accessibility-Seniors Special Olympics Youth Kids First Youth KidSport Youth Rec Board Youth Member Schools Home Schoolers Schools Carpenter High School Schools Lakeview School Schools Gateway Elementary Schools Jubilee Schools Jonas Schools NWRC Schools TPEC Event Centre Users Kin (Telemiracle) Event Centre Users School of Dance Event Centre Users Local DJ Field House Users Wresting Club Field House Users Gymnastics Club Field House Users Indoor Walking Club Field House Users Youth Soccer Field House Users Minor Ball Field House Users Special Olympics Field House Users Adult Rec Basketball Other Stakeholders Kin Other Stakeholders Legion Other Stakeholders Lions Other Stakeholders Chamber of Commerce
-
- Q: Who are the members of the Advisory Committee and what do they do?
- A: We sent requests out to neighbouring communities and asked them to appoint representatives to our Advisory Committee (AC). This committee provides input into the scope of the project, feedback on the needs of their communities, feedback based in their expertise and experience, participates in activities like Risk Management Workshops, interviews with proponents to provide feedback on proposed designs, and more. The following are the members of the Advisory Committee. They are joined by additional members including past and present city staff, building officials, legal council, registered community planners and more experts who can assist in the success of this project.
-
Representing Appointee/Alternate Name City of Meadow Lake Appointee Conrad Read City of Meadow Lake Appointee Mauri Young City of Meadow Lake Alternate Clay DeBray RM of Meadow Lake Appointee Ashley Russel RM of Meadow Lake Appointee Garry Ratke RM of Meadow Lake Alternate Mike Siklenka Flying Dust Appointee Terry Villeneuve Flying Dust Alternate N/A Métis Nation of Saskatchewan Appointee Loretta King Métis Nation of Saskatchewan Alternate N/A MLTC Appointee Declined to Participate MLTC Alternate Declined to Participate
-
Skatepark - PROJECT INFORMATION
The city received a grant to construct a Skatepark in Lions Park. This project will be completed with the ramps/equipment installed in the spring of 2023. Recreation Manager Regan Beck is still on the hunt for more donors and sponsors! For more information or to donate or sponsor the project contact Rec Manager, Regan Beck at recmanager@meadowlake.ca.
