After a recent meeting, council and the municipal recreation board are saying the worst case scenario is user groups will need to be relocated when Albert Stella Memorial Arena closes in about two-years.

Summer 2017 may be the last season of use for Albert Stella Memorial Arena. Renovating the arena would cost anywhere from $5 to $8 million.
The arena is used for lacrosse, soccer, rock climbing and has a skate park.

“We want to encourage those groups and we want to keep those groups going,” said director of Community Services Lyle Hannan. “In a perfect world, we’d have a new facility to replace it. We’re trying to look at ways to get grants. The worst case scenario is we’re planning for relocation [and] that is the more likely scenario.”

Minor soccer would be moved to the MDM gymnasium, lacrosse would be moved to the Coleman Arena and the Ravens, our junior lacrosse team, might have to practice in Pincher Creek if scheduling conflicts arise.

Hannan said the skate park equipment could be relocated to an outdoor concrete pad. It would only be used seasonally but could be accessed at all hours of the day instead of only when the building is open.

Last year, the municipality invested $62,854 plus GST into the facility to keep it usable until 2017.

The previous council planned to close Albert Stella in 2014 after a 2011 facility audit revealed that it was in poor shape.

The arena was built in 1959 with a curling rink addition in 1972. The facility had a kitchen upgrade in 1984 and a hockey dressing room was added in 1991. The facility is currently being used as an indoor soccer pitch in the original hockey ice arena structure and the original curling rink has been converted to a skateboarding park, climbing and gymnastics facility.