The Municipality of Jasper is on track to reopen all its recreation facilities this month following more than a year of renovations.
The Jasper Arena reopened on Sunday (Dec. 8), the main entrance and lobby to the Activity Centre will reopen next Monday (Dec. 18) and the Aquatic Centre will reopen on Boxing Day.
“We are building back every building block to get to full service,” said Christopher Read, director of community development. “I think the elevator and the lobby [in the Activity Centre] are the remaining big things that you would see. Finally getting back to our main entrance over on the west side of the building, it will be great to see that open again.”
Areas such as the fitness centre and the multi-purpose hall had already reopened earlier this fall.
The arena currently only has one dressing room open as a lace-up area, and the remaining ones are scheduled to reopen Dec. 18. Read also cautioned the hot tub in the Aquatic Centre may take longer to reopen as the municipality was still addressing mechanical issues.
In the New Year, the municipality will focus on landscaping and other miscellaneous items.
Beginning in summer 2023, the renovations focused on upgrading changing areas for the Aquatic Centre and Jasper Arena while adding new dressing rooms for the arena.
The project also addresses lifecycle reinvestment in mechanical and electrical systems and improves physical accessibility, such as by installing an elevator in the Activity Centre.
Initially scheduled for completion in September this year, the project was delayed due to the Jasper wildfire, specifically because of the cleanup and the remobilization of crews.
Renovations were initially budgeted at $14 million prior to final approval, but council had to increase the budget by $6.4 million due to inflation.
Read said the budget was still within the approved budget of $20.4 million, despite the delay from the wildfire. He attributed this to their strong relationship with the main contractor, Carlson Construction.
“We've been very, very lucky with the creativity and the solution-focused [attitude] from our side as well as their side, and it's been a real partnership,” Read said. “The budget is on track, probably to the dollar almost.”
Minor hockey practice has already resumed in the Jasper Arena after parents and organizers spent the fall booking time in Hinton. Read noted the league had been flexible with allowing Jasper teams to play mostly away games.
“Their home games will now happen after Christmas, and so it will feel very much like a full hockey season, almost with all the home games condensed into the end of the season,” he said.
Read emphasized how recreation facilities were a crucial component of what made Jasper “a livable, enjoyable and inspiring community.” He noted the strong attendance at the fitness centre.
He added how important having an active tournament schedule was for the local economy, particularly outside the usual tourism season.
“We've loved to see residents coming back in the kind of numbers that they're coming back in,” he said. “But it also is a reflection of how important that kind of activity is for residents.”
