A recommended "campus" building design option for the new rec complex. (Council agenda package/City of P.A.)

By Alison Sandstrom

Complex concerns

Councillors seek more time before selecting rec complex design

Jan 15, 2021 | 8:45 AM

Faced with various options for the design of the new mutli-million dollar recreation complex, Prince Albert city council has held off making any decisions for now. Instead, councillors voted to continue discussion on the project at a future meeting, giving them time to gather information and talk to constituents.

“We need to get it right,” Coun. Tony Head told Thursday afternoon’s meeting. “There’s a lot on the table and I think more discussion about it and possibly more consultation is needed.”

The city’s politicians were presented with various conceptual designs for the multi-million-dollar facility Thursday. Although the City currently only has funding for phase one (two arenas and an aquatic centre), all three phases are included in the preliminary drawings, which the project’s architects created after touring similar facilities in Alberta with senior city staff.

Ted Watson with MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects (MJMA) presents to council. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

Council’s concerns

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Incorporating preferred elements from the visited facilities, the estimated cost of phase one comes in at $70 million.

The architects offered options for how to bring the cost closer to the project’s $60 million budget, but several councillors expressed concern at the items they recommend cutting.

Council was told $4.5 million dollars could potentially be saved by removing the second level of seating in both arenas, dropping the spectator capacity from 450 people to 300.

“That’s totally inadequate for our needs,” Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick said. “The Mintos wouldn’t be able to play out of that rink, they could practice. The Bears would barely be able to play out of that rink. So, I find that unacceptable.”

In initial announcements about the facility and the Request for Proposals for its design, the City has previously said each rink would seat around 800 people.

An estimated $4.5 million could be saved by removing the second level of seating from the arenas. (Council agenda package/City of P.A.)

In order to save an estimated $1.9 million, the pool could be reduced from eight lanes to six.

Coun. Charlene Miller said she’d already heard early feedback against the idea from pool-users.

“They’re telling me they want eight lanes,” she said, adding she supported the idea of having extra time to talk to constituents.

A slide shows various options for reducing the cost of the aquatic centre. (Council agenda package/City of P.A.)

Councillors also had questions about the recommended “campus building,” which involves separate facilities, arranged around a central courtyard space.

Other options presented include “single building” and “hybrid building.”

There were also several queries, centered around the energy-efficiency of the campus option.

“Separate HVAC [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] systems are required whether you connect it [the buildings] or not,” the city’s director of public works, Wes Hicks told council. “Because what you would design for the pool and two arenas wouldn’t be sufficiently sized to handle phase two, so then you would oversize the HVACs in phase 1 to cover phase 2, thus increasing the cost of phase one, and now you’ve basically put all your eggs in one basket.”

A slide shows a comparison between the three design options. (Council Agenda Package/City of P.A.)

The date for the next meeting to discuss the recreation complex’s design had not been set, as of Friday morning. Once a conceptual design option has been approved by council, the architects will proceed with the detailed design. The city hopes to break ground on the project this fall.

A copy of the presentation given to council Thursday is available on the City’s website.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom