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Frosty weather put development on ice, but progress is back on track and Jasper’s new hostel should be open on June 1.
Delays were caused by problems accessing the site, ground squirrels and frozen pipes following the bitter cold snap in February.
The water line to service the hostel comes from what has typically been a seasonal line and it needed to thaw so the property could be finished.
“Everything is coming together, just Mother Nature threw us a few little incidents with the cold weather and the frost levels earlier on,” Alistair McLean, regional CEO of Hostelling International Canada said. “It delayed the project, it was totally out of everybody’s hands.”
Jasper’s Operations department is installing a new lift station, used for pumping wastewater or sewage from a lower to higher elevation, in the Sleepy Hollow area.
They have now broken ground on the project and a temporary sewage system has been installed at the hostel.
McLean said the system has been Alberta Health and Parks Canada approved and all that’s left is to obtain a development permit and go through a final inspection.
“Everything is going great,” he said.
When this hostel opens, the Whistlers HI hostel on the Skytram road will close and will be returned to Parks Canada for rehabilitation.
Despite the hostel advertising to be open in May, no one has been left without a place to stay.
McLean said hostel staff have been working at the old property and guests have either stayed there too or been placed in a motel in town.
“No one can live on-site until we have the occupancy permits,” he said. “It is still considered a construction site.”
When it opens, the hostel will house 19 staff on-site. McLean said in peak season there will be 25 employees.
The hostel, one of five in JNP and 16 in Alberta run by HI, will consist of four separate buildings. The main three-storey lodge will have accommodation for 157 people in a mixture of room options; including 25 four-bed shared rooms, 17 private rooms and five family rooms, some of which will be wheelchair accessible.
The main lodge will feature a fireplace lounge, café, media room, games room, full kitchen and dining space for guests, meeting room, secured bike and ski storage and more backpacker-friendly amenities.
A BBQ section, two patios and a fire pit area round out the campus. There will be two buildings dedicated to staff accommodation, one maintenance building and parking for 46 vehicles, including two electric car charging stations.
