Winklerites will very soon see work getting started on the major renovation project at the Winkler Centennial Arena.
At its Aug. 29 meeting, city council gave final reading to a Local Improvement Bylaw that outlines its intent to borrow $7.5 million for the estimated $23.75 million project.
Winkler is also dipping into its recreational reserve fund to the tune of $5.15M, and making use of $7.97M in federal funding and $3.13M in provincial dollars to pay for the project.
The borrowed $7.5M will be paid back over a 15-year period. A local improvement tax will show up on Winkler taxpayers’ bills as a result. A homeowner with a house worth $300,000 can expect to pay about $104 a year.
The bylaw received first reading by council earlier this year and then went to the Municipal Board for approval before getting second and third reading last week. It passed unanimously.
Mayor Henry Siemens shared that they are also in the process of drafting a letter of intent to secure the services of Bockstael Construction out of Winnipeg for the project.
“Ultimately, we received two formal proposals” for the renovations, he said, explaining that, after an extensive review, the Bockstael proposal was the one that got the thumbs up. “We are now dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s to enter into a contract with them.
“But in the meantime, because this is a renovation, there’s a significant amount of remediation that needs to happen, and deconstruction before we get there, and we don’t want to lose too much more time. So together with Bockstael, we’ve agreed that we’re going to move forward with a letter of intent to negotiate that final contract. In the meantime, it will allow them to start the demolition.”
The scope of the project includes demolishing much of the building’s existing interior and redeveloping it into an approximately 1,300-seat rink, with a new main entrance from the Meridian Exhibition Centre at the southwest corner.
The plan, according to the city’s overview of the project, is to “redevelop and modernize the existing arena by implementing energy efficient systems, constructing extensive code upgrades, and providing safe spectator viewing and inclusive public amenities.”
The link between the MEC and the Centennial Arena will also be expanded to provide more room for concessions, concession seating, and a staff room.
Work will also be done on the building’s exterior to improve energy efficiencies, while the aging mechanical and electrical systems inside will be fully replaced.
The hope is the renos will be complete by December 31, 2025. Between then and now, all arena user groups will be making use of the ice surface in the Meridian Exhibition Centre.
Siemens says they expect to have some design concepts to share with the community in the coming weeks.
“My genuine hope is that sometime in the next 30 days we’re going to be at a place that we can at least show a visual of what is being proposed and will be moved forward with.”
Finding the dog park a home
Last Tuesday’s council meeting also saw a petition presented to council from community members frustrated at the closure of the Winkler Dog Park.
Previously located in the north end of the city beside the water treatment plant, the fenced-in, off-leash dog park was closed earlier this year as work on the plant’s major expansion got underway.
Initially, it was announced the park would move to green space in Scotia Park in south Winkler, but then the City, responding to complaints from nearby residents, cancelled those plans. No alternative site has been found thus far for the park.
It’s been a source of frustration for the community that has been built up at the park over the years, shared Leah Nel as she presented a petition with 200 signatures to council.
“Dog parks are an amenity. They’re not a necessity, but they are also a sign of a healthy city culture that values young families and fosters community,” she said. “When I first moved here three years ago, some of the first people that I met and connected with were at the dog park. There are many dog owners in Winkler, and we truly value having a space to take our dogs off leash. Without a dog park we’re missing something important and valuable.”
Nel questioned the process by which the city attempted to find a new location for the park, announced it with no wider public consultation, and then cancelled it, also without letting the broader community weigh-in for or against the site.
“Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of dialogue facilitated about the dog park,” she said. “The project was kind of announced and then abandoned, and I don’t think it was very respectful to the citizens of Winkler. Those who were in favour of it and those who might have been opposed to it didn’t have the opportunity to speak.”
She urged council to reconsider this matter and try to find a solution.
“My request is that you please make it a priority to build a dog park as soon as possible in an accessible space.”
Mayor Siemens noted the city spent the years leading up to the treatment plant expansion getting underway trying to find a suitable location for the dog park. They weren’t expecting it to be such a challenge to find a spot.
“We ultimately ended up looking at 24 different locations, and, for any number of reasons, each one of them didn’t work,” he said, noting they initially thought Scotia Park was the ticket, but negative feedback from some in that neighbourhood “caused us to pause and reconsider.
“I recognize that the people who would like to use an off-leash dog park are frustrated and would like to see an answer, but it is a little bit more difficult to put one into a built out community,” Siemens said.
There will be space back beside the water treatment plant once construction is complete, and right now that is the plan for the permanent location of the dog park.
“We’ll be able to put it back there,” Siemens said. “That’s an existing spot that it already was and it’s a spot people were already used to going to.”
The problem is, the construction project is still 12-18 months away from completion.
Siemens said city council and staff have not given up on finding a new home for the dog park in the interim.
“We’re researching every option,” he said, noting Nel’s presentation was heard loud and clear by council. “We left that meeting committed to seeing if we can find anything in the meantime. Whether it’s a permanent location or a temporary one, we do want to find something.”
