Phase 3 of the Energy Centre Could More Than Double the Size of Rec Facility

Phase 3 of the Energy Centre could more than double the size of Cold Lake’s largest recreational facility. Included in the design is a second arena with new lounge overlooking both the arena and Imperial Oil Place, climbing wall, dedicated gymnastics centre and dance space, twin field houses, an extended running track, reconfiguration of the main entry and a number of office spaces to meet the needs of local not-for-profit sporting organizations.

“It’s very exciting to be able to consider a facility of this calibre,” Mayor Craig Copeland said. “Members of the community will be able to come to the Energy Centre for a wide variety of activities, creating an exciting recreational hub in the City. Administration and the Energy Centre Design Committee did a tremendous job working out the details of creating a functional space.”

The complete design approaches an additional 132,500 square feet, plus a retro-fit of existing spaces. The Phase 3 design also includes an outdoor artificial turf sports field that was in the conceptual site plan presented to council.  Council requested administration to provide further details on the Imperial Park Master Plan prior to finalizing the placement of the artificial turf field. Further detail is expected to be presented to Council in the coming months. The new site plan also outlined the proposed positioning of the new aquatics centre.

The city will take a “Stipulated Sum” procurement approach to construction, where the design of the facility is finalized prior to proceeding with tendering, and the general price is known once a bidder had been selected. This is the most traditional approach for municipalities taking on large construction projects.

“We reviewed both ‘Stipulated Sum’ procurement approach and ‘Construction Management,’ ” CAO Kevin Nagoya said. “Based on the current construction market, we believe that ‘Stipulated Sum’ will result in very competitive pricing.”

The cost for completing all components in the conceptual design is estimated at about $50 million. “Once council sees the cost of building certain parts of the design versus the cost of building it all, we will see how far we want to go with the Phase 3 build,” Copeland said.

The anticipated timeline for the project is four to six months of detailed design; tendering in late Winter 2016, and construction beginning in Spring 2016.

*Press Release from The City of Cold Lake

Additional Information 

Designs for the Energy Centre Presented to Council – LCN Reported September 10th, 2015