(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Alessia Proietti

Grand Opening for January 2023

Council approves $182,300 funding for staffing of upgraded G.H. Dawe Centre

Mar 15, 2022 | 9:12 AM

A grand opening for the G.H. Dawe Community Centre is expected for January 2023 as the project is stated to be “on time and on budget”.

“The ability to bring it in on budget is extraordinary, particularly in the COVID time that we live in,” said Mayor Ken Johnston.

In order to follow through on this date, council approved at Monday’s meeting a one-time $182,300 funding request by administration to complete staff recruitment for the Centre.

During the 2020 operating budget development, administration did not submit the required personnel plan until the construction schedule was confirmed due to pandemic uncertainties.

Now that the construction is said to be completed by January 2023, The City is looking to complete staff recruitment, training, and development of new programs and services. Using a phased recruitment approach beginning in May, key positions will begin as early as June, a second group will start in October and the remaining front-line staff in December.

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By the opening of the site’s new outdoor spray park next year, there will be around 13 new full time equivalent positions at the facility in the areas of fitness, operations, customer service, and marketing support, according to General Manager of Community Services Sarah Tittemore.

If council chose not to approve the request, the grand opening would be pushed back to July 2023.

Administration recommended against this option for several reasons. Deficiencies in the facility or its equipment must be addressed in the first year of operation which begins the moment The City takes possession of the facility from the contractor, in this case December 2022. Pushing the opening date to July would only leave six months to identify any issues. As well, administration believes a completed facility left unused for six months because of insufficient staffing would not only be a reputational risk but would also cause public disappointment.

The Centre will shut down for construction for eight weeks in May and June resulting in $68,900 in savings, partially offsetting the costs of staffing. While Tittemore explained this outcome was unexpected, she said it was necessary as multiple systems throughout the Centre are interconnected and would be affected.

READ: Upcoming construction closure at the Dawe

With the approved $182,300 coming from the 2022 Tax Supporting Operating Reserve, Councillor Michael Dawe expressed satisfaction that a large part of the funding would not be taken from property taxes.

“We ended up with a facility at less cost to the property tax payers and it’s a real benefit to the community,” he said.

The total budget for the project is $44 million. Grant funding includes $15.1 million federally and $12.8 million from the provincial government’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative. The City of Red Deer will be covering the remaining costs.

Councillor Kraymer Barnstable shared his happiness for Red Deerians in the northern part of the city.

“I just want to state how excited I am that the north end is getting the attention it deserves,” he said.

The facility expansion includes the modernization of the existing ice surface to meet NHL standards and a second ice surface, an outdoor spray park, expansion of fitness and programming spaces, new site access and expanded parking.