By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
City of Martensville councillors voted during their October 6 meeting to authorize the city manager to sign a new donation agreement with the Martensville Community Recreation Project (MCRP) to allocate all new funds raised by the volunteer-led group towards a second ice surface at the Martensville Recreation Centre.
As noted in an administration report, following a presentation by Mayor Kent Muench at the Martensville Minor Hockey Association AGM in 2014, the MCRP was formed with the intention of raising funds for a second ice surface within the city.
A second ice surface was badly needed as minor hockey numbers had grown substantially, and the single ice sheet at the Martensville Sports Centre could no longer accommodate local demand.
As fundraising efforts continued, the city and the MCRP eventually entered into a donation agreement in March 2018, which committed the MCRP to donate $150,000 to the city that year and make additional contributions over the next several years.
The efforts of the MCRP and the $4 million Lace ‘Em Up campaign ultimately culminated in the construction of the Martensville Recreation Centre (MRC), which held its official grand opening on February 25, 2025.
With the MRC now in operation, the MCRP approached the city last year about signing a new donation agreement for the development of a second ice surface at the facility.
The agreement, which was included with the October 6 agenda package, states the city will maintain all donated funds in a separate account or accounting reserve and eventually use those funds for the construction of the second ice surface before 2037.
If the project is not completed before then, the agreement states that the funds will be returned to the MCRP. It also stipulates that the funds cannot be used by the city for any project other than the ice surface.
At the October 6 meeting, Councillor Brad Blixt asked why the agreement indicates that all funds previously committed towards the construction of the MRC will continue to be remitted to the city.
Director of Recreation and Planning Roxane Melnyk explained that there may still be outstanding donations for the MRC that have yet to be submitted, as some donors may have chosen to extend their contributions over a five-year or 10-year period.
“We just wanted to verify that those donations were not included in…the money they’re collecting from the current fundraisers they’re doing now,” she said.