Steel Creek Developers held a sod-turning celebration last Friday in Arborg where it will be building a Blue Crescent Hotel that will serve the northern Interlake.
The developers were joined by guests including Interlake-Gimli MLA Derek Johnson, Bifrost-Riverton reeve Brian Johnson and Arborg mayor Peter Dueck.
Steel Creek Developers Ken Rempel and sons Trevor Rempel and Andrew Rempel also attended the sod turning.
Trevor welcomed the approximately 50 community members, special guests and investors to the ceremony.
“It’s a really exciting day for us. We’ve been working with the local shareholder group for a while now to get to the stage where finally we started moving dirt” said Trevor.
He explained where the building and pool will go on the hotel site within the fenced area. He was excited that the dirt had been moved.
“It’s nice they were able to access to get started this week so it gives us something to look at in the background.”
The 30-room hotel will have a pool, waterslide and hot tub and will be located in the Arborg Business Park just south of town, along Highway 68.
Having additional hotel capacity in Arborg is expected to bring more visitors to the area and stimulate local economic growth. People opting for a staycation will also be able to enjoy the hotel’s amenities. The hotel is also expected to create local jobs.
“A larger hotel can help keep visitors in the community overnight and there should be more restaurant and gas station visits. It helps the economy in the area,” said Andrew Rempel after the ceremony. “With more rooms, a pool and a waterslide, maybe the town can get the larger hockey tournaments coming in. The hotel is a good addition to what’s already existing in Arborg.”
Dueck brought greetings on behalf of the town and congratulatory comments to all of the investors who were in attendance.
He thanked them for their support in the project and the community.
“The confidence that you have expressed and exhibited in this community is amazing.”
“Someone once said the best way to predict the future is to create it. And as town council, we believe that your confidence in the future growth of this community, your confidence in the business sense of this community is well founded and as investors you will be rewarded for this kind of investment in the community.”
As the mayor of Arborg he is thrilled at the kind of possibilities that this venue will open up for the community.
“Whether it is business, travel or seminars and training opportunities or family reunions, weddings or a birthday party in the pool in the water slide area. The opportunities are so far reaching and we’re so excited of what this venue is going to provide for the community.”
Steel Creek Developers is a family-owned development company that specializes in serving rural communities. Based in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the company has already built Blue Crescent Hotels in Carman and Rivers, and turned the sod in March for a 73-room hotel in Niverville. It also plans to build a new Tim Hortons restaurant in Altona.
There will be eight different suite configurations with disability access. The suites have a special layout called a split-room design in which guests are divided by a central washroom with a bedroom placed on either side of it. That will be ideal for families as it will save them from having to pay for two rooms.
Construction is already underway on the site.
“We’re doing the foundation work right now,” said Rempel. “They’ve got the gravel and rock laid out and they’re starting to build up the site, level it off and getting it ready for a concrete foundation. Hopefully, in the next few weeks they’ll be doing the foundation work.”
For more information about Steel Creek Developers and Blue Crescent Hotels, visit their respective websites: www.steelcreekdevelopers.ca and www.bluecrescent.ca
Express Photos by Lana Meier
By Patricia Barrett and Lana Meier
