Martensville’s new multi-purpose recreation facility will be built west of Highway 12 on a five-acre parcel of land donated by Canwest Commercial & Land Corporation, a sister corporation of North Prairie Developments.
The location of the much-needed facility was unveiled Wednesday, August 19.
The new city-owned recreation complex will anchor a commercial-recreational area south of Main Street (Township Road 384) in North Prairie Developments planned Trilogy Ranch subdivision west of the Highway 12 overpass.
“This is a great site for a recreational facility that will benefit the whole region,” said Martensville Mayor Kent Muench. “It’s a highly visible and easily accessible location in an area of the city that’s expected to grow over the next several years.”
North Prairie Developments and Canwest Land & Commercial Corporation President John Williams said the decision to donate five acres of serviced land in a prime section of the new subdivision will help spur development.
“It’s an exciting day,” said Williams. “Our company has a long relationship with the City of Martensville. We began by developing 20 lots on 6th Street in 1995, and went on to develop MacCormack Ranch, Sunset Ridge and Black Iron Crossing.
“It’s been more than 20 years since a hockey rink has been built in Martensville, so this is something that’s really needed, and we’re happy to be part of it.”
North Prairie Developments, through Canwest Commercial and Land Corporation, owns 680 acres of land west of Highway 12 that was recently annexed by the City of Martensville and is part of the city’s West Sector Plan for long-term residential and commercial development. When fully developed, the North Prairie subdivision will be home to an estimated 10,000 residents in 3500 housing units.
Williams said the five acres of serviced land donated to the City of Martensville for the recreation complex is valued at about $3 million. The land parcel is large enough to accommodate the fully-completed project in all its phases as well as a paved parking lot.
In exchange for the donation, North Prairie Developments and Canwest Commercial & Land Corporation will be given naming rights to the new facility.
Muench said the corporate donation is extremely generous, and provides a tremendous boost to community fundraising efforts.
“It’s been a real community process over the past six years,” said Muench. “It began with a grassroots fundraising effort which the city is supporting. And now with this donation we have a major developer helping out.
“Everyone is striving for the same goal. I think it’s a pretty incredible story that a small city like Martensville is able to do this.”
Muench said he’s hopeful construction will begin on the first phase of the project in the near future.
The design of the recreation complex was unveiled in the spring of 2019. Phase 1 includes a hockey arena with a smaller leisure ice surface at one end similar to the one in the Warman Legends Centre. It will also include dressing rooms, a climbing wall, spectator lounge, seating area and kitchen.
Phase 2 would include a second hockey arena with dressing rooms and spectator seating. Phase 3 would see the addition of two indoor soccer fields, dressing rooms, concession area and storage areas. The fourth and final phase would include a third ice arena.
The second floor in all phases includes seating, retail, office and multi-purpose rooms.
The initial phase is estimated to cost $13 million, and includes an indoor ice surface. The City of Martensville has committed $6.5 million to the project, with the remainder being raised through the efforts of volunteer members of the Martensville Community Recreation Project (MCRP) organization.
To date, the MCRP has raised approximately $350,000 toward the new complex.
MCRP Chair Jesse Reis said the announcement of the location for the new multi-purpose facility brings the project “a giant step” closer to reality.
“It makes it a lot more real,” said Reis. “It shows that things are moving forward. A lot of people were wondering if it was all just a dream, but having an actual location will start the ball rolling for a lot of the support we’re receiving.
“One of the concerns was having enough land to build on, and also the cost of servicing,” he added. “This donation takes care of those expenses.
“There’s still a long way to go as far as fundraising, obviously, but having a location allows us to take it to the next level.”
Reis said while the MCRP’s fundraising campaign was set back over the past few months by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is once again picking up steam.
In addition to its annual three-on-three hockey tournament which starts at the end of August, the group has a number of other fundraisers planned for the winter.
Reis said the MCRP’s biggest project is the construction of a new home in Martensville, which will be sold to raise funds toward the new recreation facility.
“The house project is looking to break ground now,” said Reis. “We’re arranging for more partners to help out. A lot of people in the community have approached us and are very interested in working on it.
“Right now we’re getting our ducks in a row, and we hope to start construction on the house at the end of this month or early September.”
The MCRP website is www.mcrp.ca .
Martensville-Warman MLA Nancy Heppner said the unveiling of the location of the new recreational facility is a red letter day for the city and the region.
“This is truly a community-driven project,” said Heppner. “The residents of this growing city saw a need and launched a campaign to fill that need.”
Eagle Creek-Carlton Trail MP Kelly Block said the community’s partnership with North Prairie and Canwest will encourage further growth for the area.
“The new rink is a symbol of a bright future,” said Block.