Service disruptions at the Jasper Activity Centre and the Jasper Arena will impact access to the building, limit use of the facility and put the squeeze on local businesses this winter.

Jasper Municipal Council heard yesterday (July 11) that the next phase of the Jasper Activity Centre Renovation Project will start on Monday, July 17, at which time the contractor will begin demolition of the building’s main entrance.

In lieu of the west access, CAO Bill Given said the public will be re-directed through the Commemoration Park (east) entrance of the building. This includes staff, students and parents accessing the Wildflowers Childcare Centre. A temporary entrance will open into the daycare from the gymnastics area.

Daycare families are being redirected through the Jasper Activity Centre’s east entrance and the gymnastics area. // Supplied

The main entrance is expected to be closed until November.

The renovation project, escalating costs for which were approved at a June 20 council meeting, has a 12-month timeline. It started this past spring. Improvements include a new elevator, a new main entryway, required mechanical and electrical upgrades, and renovations to the Jasper Aquatic Centre, including new change rooms. After the price hike—attributed to inflation, labour shortages and market challenges unique to Jasper—the price of the renovations is sitting at $20.4 million.

As tough to stomach as those costs were for councillors, it’s the effect of the construction on the upcoming sports season which had local officials cringing in the council chambers July 11. The component of the project which adds three new dressing room at the arena will have a major disruption on municipal services, Given said.

“We expect for the majority of the season, our existing change rooms will be out of commission, and that the timeline for the new dressing rooms is unlikely to benefit the majority of the season,” Given told councillors. 

Municipal staff is prioritizing local youth hockey practices and games in 2023/24. // Jasper Local file

While local youth hockey practices and games, followed by local adult hockey, will be prioritized, without proper dressing rooms for the bulk of the winter, the Jasper Arena will be unable to host tournaments with teams from out-of-town. Given said administration looked at alternatives which would allow staff to provide support for tournaments but those ideas, so far, have been untenable.

“Ideas like bringing in ATCO trailers … which would require heat and permitting and connection to utilities … are very unlikely,” he said.

Other potential solutions—such as using other portions of the building for interim change rooms—are currently being floated, but there are no detailed plans at this time.

“We wanted council and the community to understand how we’re prioritizing service to ensure that kids in the community can still participate in sports but we don’t want anybody to be under the misimpression that we’re going to have a full season of normal operation like we have in the past,” he said. 

Now that municipal administrators understand better the requirements of the construction schedule for the Jasper Activity Centre Renovation Project, tournaments with teams from out-of-town are off the table for 2023/24. // Jasper Local file

Given said staff is maintaining open lines of communication with stakeholders and sports leagues and that they understand that hockey tournaments are a big part of how some teams and organizations raise enough funds to operate and travel.

“That isn’t something that’s gone past our attention and we’re actively discussing how we might be able to support that,” Given said.

He added that a task force has been struck formed to respond to the rapidly-changing scenario. Updates will be provided regularly via the town’s website.

Councillor Rico Damota said he has been fielding questions from constituents who say after COVID-19 business disruptions and the September 2022 Chetamon Mountain wildfire and subsequent week-long power outage, they can’t afford another hit to their revenue.

“The question I’ve been asked multiple times is: is there a way, it too late, has the horse left the barn, in delaying this until springtime?”

Given was equally as direct with his answer as Damota was with his inquiry.

“Yes, absolutely the horse has left the barn,” Given said. “We have signed contracts, we have ordered equipment. At this stage any delay would be significant, and would cost the municipality multiple millions of dollars…and we would still have impacts to a future hockey season.”

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com