SUMMER 2013

Welcome Canlan Ice Sports and YMCA Calgary So far 2013 has been a turning point for the New Recreation Facilities project team as a lot of our behindthe-scenes work materialized into exciting outcomes that we can share with our colleagues, stakeholders and the public. Most recently, Council approved the lease agreement for three of our four facilities allowing us to Quarry Park recreation facility announce YMCA Calgary as operator of the Quarry Park and Rocky Ridge facilities and Canlan Ice Sports as operator of Great Plains. YMCA Calgary and Canlan were selected as the highest-rated proponents for each respective facility after a competitive operator bid process which kick-started at the end of 2012. Our thanks go out to the various internal colleagues from recreation, finance, supply chain and law who participated in the evaluations and helped the team execute a fair selection process. We are very pleased to add more successful partnerships to The City and working with both organizations to provide accessible recreation opportunities for Calgarians. Design work revealed for Quarry Park, Rocky Ridge and Great Plains Floor plans and external renderings - that demonstrate how the proposed amenities for each facility will be arranged and what each facility could look like - have been revealed via our project website at www.calgary.ca/newreccentres. Soon after, the designs were featured by the Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun and Avenue Magazine.

In terms of development, the Quarry Park and Rocky Ridge facilities both have development permit applications in progress while Great Plains is expected to apply later this summer. Stripping and grading is scheduled to begin this fall for Quarry Park and winter 2013/2014 for Rocky Ridge. Site works is expected to begin at Great Plains in early 2014.

Great Plains lobby view between both rinks

Southeast information session The material progress made in design and securing operators presented a great opportunity to connect with the communities whose needs each facility is being designed to meet. Since site works at Quarry Park is expected to begin after the summer, it was important to engage the southeast communities as soon as possible. Over 200 residents joined us at the Riverbend Community Centre on June 18 to check out preliminary designs presented by GEC Architecture and Marshal Tittemore Architects, discuss plans for the Quarry Park library Canlan Ice Sports meeting residents on June 18. with representatives from the Calgary Public Library, see whats in store with the Public Art Program, meet YMCA Calgary and Canlan, and of course ask any top of mind questions to the project team. The response and excitement was nothing short of enthusiastic, with the most frequently asked question being When we can start using these facilities?

A similar information session will be held for the northwest communities surrounding the Rocky Ridge facility after the election. Seton recreation facility Work continues around the planning and development of Seton, our largest facility. A Request for Proposal (RFP) to secure an operator has been issued to the market. The RFP will be open for approximately eight weeks, closing August 22, 2013. A crossfunctional evaluation team will review and select a highest-rated proponent. The project team led a successful site Master Plan exercise in early spring with various stakeholders including Calgary Board of Education, Calgary Public Library and other City departments such as Parks and Calgary Transit. The Master Plan is close to completion and is an important step in the facilitys development as it defines how the facility, the future high school and Calgary Transit will be arranged and work together on the site. It will enable the project team to continue moving forward with land use planning and facility design. Leading the design is Gibbs Gage Architects. Public art plan underway Working closely with colleagues from the Public Art Program, we developed our strategic position and approach to delivering public art that will best benefit citizens and future users of each new facility. The artist RFPs for the Quarry Park, Great Plains and Rocky Ridge facilities have closed with the jury selection process scheduled to begin in July. The Seton artist RFP is expected for release later this summer.

A look ahead
Work continues to move at a fast pace to get these facilities up and running between 2015 and 2017. Expected highlights for the rest of the year include: Seton operator highest-rated proponent selection and negotiations Public art artist selection for all four facilities Site works commencing at Quarry Park and possibly Rocky Ridge Northwest communities information session for Rocky Ridge Groundbreaking ceremonies for Quarry Park and Great Plains