Pipestone Flyer
Vol. 15, Issue 4, The Leduc-Wetaskiwin Pipestone Flyer
Administration Reports
Rec Report:
The much anticipated, long awaited moment is nearly here, the Grand Opening for the Recreation Complex is set for Saturday, January 29. There will be a Meet and Greet in the Main Lobby of the Recreation Complex at 1 PM. Facility Opening Ceremony and Tour commence at 1:30, with Entertainment/Activities from 2:30 to 5 PM.
The Gord Bamford Christmas concert concession and silent auction raised another $1,884.00 for the redevelopment. The next fundraiser is the 50/50 at the February 23 Oil Kings/Calgary Hitmen game at Rexall Place in Edmonton.
CAO Report on the Rec Centre:
The Rec Centre redevelopment final inspection was conducted on January 11 by the architectural firm of Workun Garrick Partnership and was attended by Thorsby CAO Wynne. Deficiencies were noted by contractor, Reed Atwood—ATCO installation of gas meter, installations of: movable curtain between the yoga/dance studio and fitness room; exterior door to dance/yoga studio; floor anchors for badminton nets in field house sports floor; exterior flashing at windows/doors; point touch ups; signage for the rooms; and a general cleaning. All this will be completed before the January 29th Grand Opening ceremony celebrating the Rec Centre redevelopment.
Three non-project related tasks need to be undertaken as “owner related improvements” (to the Rec Complex). They include re-attaching the snow guards to the roof; adding a splash-guard to the Zamboni sump pit to keep the water from going over into the field house area; and adding shelves to the janitorial room. A new roof option is “3 to 5 or 6 years away” according to Wynne.
Due to an extension of the federal government’s Recreational Infrastructure Canada Project (RInC) from March 31, 2011 to October 31, 2011, “there is a window of opportunity to complete Phase 2 of the Thorsby Recreation Complex redevelopment project and to conceivably access more RInC funding for this purpose. This second phase would see the completion of the three remaining dressing rooms that were initially included in the scope of the $1.3 million project. The cost for completion of the Phase 2 dressing rooms (three hockey dressing rooms) is estimated to be between $300,000-$350,000 and I am presently putting together a financing package for Thorsby and Leduc County Council consideration. Our Rec Complex is going to be very classy.”
Parks and Rec programs
5,000 Thorsby Parks and Rec Programs are being distributed to households in the Thorsby, Calmar, Warburg, Leduc County and the Lakes area to market recreation, leisure and education programs. Said CAO Wynne, “I expect (seasonal programs and activities) plans to become more comprehensive with more programs and expect them to be filled. If you have an idea for a program—tell us!” Online program registration will be coming soon.
Mayor Rasch expressed appreciation for Rec Manager Laurie Gellert’s efforts in getting such a fine program organized, “Laurie has put an immense amount of time into this and deserves a huge thank you!”
Rural Home and Garden Show Coming to Thorsby
You may wish to note the following Parks and Rec Special Events: Volunteer Appreciation 2011, Spring Indoor Garage Sale, and what might be this year’s Parks and Rec pièce de résistance premier event—the Rural Home & Garden Show—uniquely tailored “with a rural twist” including retailers of equipment for small acreage, greenhouses, outdoor structures and more.
Other:
- Thorsby Public Works department has assumed responsibility for snow clearing at Silver Beach.
- Congratulations to the Lions Club Organizing Committee, which held their first meeting on January 10, 2011. Thorsby is now one step closer to forming their own Lions Club service organization. The club elected Mitch Williams as Interim President and Bev Alcorn as Secretary-Treasurer. Plan to attend the next meeting scheduled for January 31.
- Stats Canada Census and the new National Household Survey (NHS) will take place in May 2011.
- Feb. 21: FAMILY DAY Free festivities. Thorsby Recreation Complex 11 AM to 3 PM
- Feb. 26: GET UP and GO GIRL Workshop for young women ages 7-17. $10 to register. Call Laurie Gellert at 789-4041 or Andrea Beckon at 955-3555 ext.. 3268 by February 21.