Official ground breaking ceremony for expansion of MEGlobal Athletic Park in Lacombe held Aug. 26. (Supplied)

By rdnewsNOW staff

Let Construction Begin!

MEGlobal Athletic Park breaks ground on field house expansion

Aug 28, 2020 | 10:15 AM

Work will soon get underway on the expansion of MEGlobal Athletic Park in Lacombe.

On Aug. 26, the Lacombe Athletic Park Association (LAPA) held its official, “physically distanced” groundbreaking on the $1.5-million expansion of its field house and other spectator facilities at MEGlobal Athletic Park.

LAPA officials say funding for the project was provided by MEGlobal Canada ULC., a global petrochemical company with operations at the nearby Prentiss site.

Instead of bringing people into contact with one another for the occasion, the event featured balloons in the MEGlobal colours of green, purple and white, with gold shovels representing the official ground breaking.

“It isn’t quite the celebration we imagined, but it is still exciting to get Phase 1 of our expansion plan started,” said LAPA Chair Jay Adamson. “This represents a huge step forward in bringing larger, more diverse sporting events to Lacombe and area. We are so fortunate to have great community partners in the City of Lacombe, Lacombe County and Wolf Creek Public Schools who are in full support of the expansion phases.”

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“Of course though, none of this would be possible without the strong partnership we have formed with MEGlobal and their financial commitment of $2 million dollars to our project,” continued Adamson. “The citizens of Lacombe, the County and Wolf Creek students will be able to reap the benefits of the expanded park for many years to come! We look forward to the many more events we can host and the positive economic impact it will bring to the community.”

The expansion plan within Phase 1 includes a doubling of the size of the field house which includes many additional washrooms, larger additional change rooms and storage, meeting rooms, an elevator and a fully accessible viewing tower with space for media and coaches, as well as timing facilities for the running track.

Phase 2 of expansion will be the running track and field infrastructure.

As part of the agreement, MEGlobal will retain naming rights to the park until 2040.

Darren Berg, LAPA Board Member and an engineer with MEGlobal, said his company’s contribution to the park is part of the company’s commitment to community sustainability and success.

“MEGlobal is very excited to be a partner in this fantastic facility and this project that will not only benefit our community in the long-term, but will also immediately provide jobs to the Lacombe area during this challenging time,” he said.

Grant Creasey, Mayor for the City of Lacombe, congratulated LAPA on the milestone.

“It is a pleasure to be able to see this community group break ground on this significant renovation project and we look forward to the day we are all able to reopen the doors of this field house in person,” said Creasey. “The City of Lacombe takes pride in citizens who work together with government, local business and the community to create inspiring projects that improve the quality of life for our citizens. We look forward to seeing generations of Lacombe athletes excelling at these facilities for years to come.”

Deborah Juch, Lacombe Director of Community Services, added her appreciation for the LAPA volunteers.

“The Association’s vision for the Park is at the root of their longstanding partnership with the City and Wolf Creek Public Schools and it is why Lacombe has an Athletic Park at all,” exclaimed Juch. “This renovation and the track planned for next year are happening because of their gift of countless volunteer hours. I am most happy for all the athletes who will benefit from its construction,” she said.

Jayson Lovell, Wolf Creek Public School Superintendent, said he is also happy to see the project beginning. “We join in the excitement of the community that this valuable project has taken another big step forward,” remarked Lovell. “The expansion of the MEGlobal Athletic Park will greatly serve not only our local students, but the growing need of athletes, families and the community in and around Lacombe. We would like to thank and applaud all the partners who have helped make this project a success.”

According to the LAPA website, The Lacombe Athletic Park Association has sub-leased the facility from the City of Lacombe and will operate and manage the facility.

The Association will continue to be responsible for overseeing user agreements, facility bookings, and will continue fundraising for operations and future capital improvements while subsidizing user fees for main local user groups.

LAPA officials note that the field house and stands, lights and scoreboard were completed in September 2010.

Fencing, signage and installation of the artificial turf was completed in May 2012.

The Grand Opening of the facility was Aug. 25, 2012.