BATTLEFORD — The Town of Battleford is looking at renovating the Battleford Arena.
The administration recommended council approve the plan to renovate the arena and authorize the administration to move ahead with the next steps.
This work involves a public consultation, project scoping, and financial planning with the aim to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) by early 2026, with funding provided through the town’s capital reserves.
The goal is "to modernize the Battleford Arena to better meet community needs while ensuring fiscal responsibility and sustainability,” said Parks and Recreation Manager Jordan Schechtel in his report.
Council voted in favour of proceeding with the plan.
Mayor Ames Leslie said he is glad to see the work progress.
“It’s one of those projects where it’s good to see it being pushed forward to the next step of making it a reality,” he said. “We’re in the infancy of that process. As the timeline was presented here, hopefully, we’ll get a better understanding by the end of this year what the new proposed renovation and upgrade to the rink would look like.”
The proposed timeline of what the work will involve:
April to June 2025 - Public consultations involving residents and user groups.
July to August 2025 - Consultation summary and council presentation.
July to August 2025 - Plan modifications, based on feedback.
October to November 2025 - Finalize project scope and specifications.
December 2025 to January 2026 - Request for Proposals preparation and tender process.
July 2026 - Construction starts.
July 2028 - Estimated project completion.
The project was needed to improve accessibility to all users; enhance and expand the spaces for team and event use; upgrade the facilities and functionality for both winter and summer events; and meet energy efficiency and sustainability standards, according to the report.
“The 2025 capital budget does not include this project, but $1,120,000 in reserve funds was previously allocated,” Schechtel said.
The report indicates that up to $36,500 of the funds will be used in 2025 for pre-construction planning. The last cost estimate from 2024 projected an upper-range cost of $2,136,000 excluding design work, permits, contingencies and engineering fees.
“Inflation, regulatory changes, and modifications to the conceptual plan will likely increase total costs,” Schechtel said.
Funding for the preliminary work will come from reserves, while a comprehensive funding strategy will be developed for the construction costs.
Schechtel said the expansion would be about 5,400 square feet, based on the previous plans that were done.
Coun. Kevin Russell said he likes the idea of the renovation of Battleford Arena.
“We’ve been talking about this for some time…,” he said. “The old concept of having four dressing rooms doesn’t work anymore. It’s a great struggle. I’ve seen it time and time again. And that’s just hockey. And, then you want to host other things.”
Coun. Mark Coleman noted the projected timeline for the project looks good.
“I’m very supportive of recreation,” he said.
Coun. Shelley Boutin-Gervais said the project is “long overdue.”
“I’m in total favour of this,” she said.
CAO Todd Francis noted having the public engagement component will be helpful, to see what the public wants.
“We’ll hit the ground running in 2026 with the RFP, and go from there,” he said.
