The City of Calgary News Blog: As Rocky Ridge Recreation Facility Opens, Work Continues at Seton Facility

[From Left to right: Kurt Hanson, Manager of Community Services for The City of Calgary; Mark Asberg, Director of Service Delivery for the Calgary Public Library; Michael Connolly, MLA for Calgary-Hawkwood; Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi; Shannon Doram, President and CEO of YMCA Calgary]

On February 1, 2018, the Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge celebrated its grand opening, with guests including Mayor Naheed Nenshi, MLA Michael Connolly, Councillors Ward Sutherland, Joe Magloiocca and Sean Chu, YMCA Calgary President and CEO Shannon Doram, and citizens from the area.

Initial response to the new facility has been overwhelming – since opening, the facility has signed up over 9,400 new YMCA members, justifying The City of Calgary’s research that a recreation facility was sorely needed in the area.

Mayor Nenshi speaks at the Grand Opening of the Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge.

The Shane Homes YMCA is the third of four new recreation facilities to be built in underserved areas of the City. The Great Plains Recreation Facility and Remington YMCA opened in Calgary’s southeast in 2016. The City has overseen the planning, design and construction of all four new recreation facilities – a total investment of $480 million. A portion of the cost was contributed by the Government of Alberta as part of the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI). In all cases, there were few recreational opportunities in the area before construction of the new facility.

The last of the four new facilities, in Seton, is currently under construction. This facility will open in early 2019 as a community hub in a dynamic area surrounded by a future high school and regional park. The new facility was designed with input from a thoughtful engagement process with local community associations and area residents.

Within the walls, construction on the 330,000 square-foot facility is moving briskly, on-time and on-budget. Amenities will include a 50-metre, 10-lane competition and diving pool, a water park and leisure pool, a surf simulator, two ice rinks, 3 gymnasia, a fitness centre with studios, a 200-metre running track, art-making and studio space, a 250-seat theatre, and a 25,000-square-foot full-service library.

The facility will be managed by the Calgary YMCA, who won a competitive bid to operate and maintain the space. This innovative model ensures the sustainability of the facility without the need for additional tax dollars to fund staffing, maintenance or other operational costs.

For more information and a full amenity list, please visit calgary.ca/recreationprojects.

Photos of Seton:

View of the main atrium and the future 25,000 square-foot library

View down the main hallway, toward the main atrium. The competition pool is on the left, and the twin arenas to the right

Looking down on the future competition pool

View of diving platforms. A temporary floor has been erected over the deep end of the pool.

The future recreation pool area, including the recreation pool (R), lazy river (centre) and posts for a waterslide (L). Behind the lazy river is the foundation for the surf simulator.