A proposed recreational facility in Grande Prairie’s Avondale area is no longer moving forward; instead city council has decided the “soccer dome” facility will now be located in the Trader Ridge area.

City administration informed council that the alternative location on the city's northern border would be suitable for a recreation centre at a council Committee of the Whole meeting on Feb. 19.

“This is a larger site (Trader Ridge), allows for optimal facility placement and parking needs,” said Stephanie Cajolais, project director.

“The site is also partially serviced, reducing additional infrastructure costs, and is located adjacent to commercial and future residential developments, supporting long-term city growth.”

On Monday, city council approved 3.21 hectares of land near 103 St. and 139 Ave. near the city’s northern border for the proposed recreation facility.

Additionally, it directed city administration to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the design, engineering and construction of a dome structure which could accommodate a FIFA regulation-size soccer field, with flexibility for various sports activities.

Council also directed administration to purchase the land for the proposed recreation facility for $2.4 million.

The project's total cost, including purchasing land, site costs, and parking development, is estimated at $16.4 million. 

The cost of buying and servicing the Trader Ridge land is about $2.4 million, and the facility construction is estimated at $14 million. 

In principle, council approved up to $10 million in debenture funding for a new recreation facility in April 2023, only months after the Swan City Football Club presented as a delegation saying it couldn’t accept 150 young soccer players.

“A borrowing bylaw is expected to come to council in March for the additional funds needed along with amendments to the previously approved amount,” said city chief financial officer Danielle Whiteway.

“We will be amending the capital plan to account for the land purchase today, issuing the RFP for construction of the facility as soon as tomorrow (Feb. 25), bringing forward a borrowing by law for $10 million, followed by any necessary adjustments and funding sources required once the RFP results have been evaluated and a more accurate construction budgets available,” she said.

Swan City FC also noted it is willing to help with some capital funds for the facility or to run it operationally, which will be discussed with city administration in the future. 

Coun. Gladys Blackmore noted the need for the land purchase to expedite the process to avoid looking like council has been dragging its feet with its decision-making.

“While it's not common for the city to buy land to build things on, it is the best solution in this case,” she said.

Mayor Jackie Clayton said various locations were considered across the city beyond Avondale, including Smith and Cobblestone. 

Site servicing for the Avondale site is estimated to be between $2.7 million and $6.1 million. 

According to a city report, the Avondale site included many challenges, including the structure’s size, constraints on future recreational development, and complexity of land ownership.

Last year in May, council directed city administration to begin negotiations with Peace Wapiti Public School Division and Grande Prairie Public School Division, both of which own land where the proposed dome would be constructed in Avondale.

“Locating the facility in Trader Ridge has the potential to encourage further development in the city's north end; additionally, air-supported structures (domes) are typically situated in industrial or commercial areas, which are better suited for their scale and parking needs,” said Cajolais.

The proposed facility will be 135,000 square feet and will include various field configurations for different sports groups, locker rooms, public restrooms, reception area, storage and spectator seating. 

The location change may speed up construction, according to the city. 

City manager Shane Bourke said that because of the negotiations with three other landowners, the site may take longer to prepare than the Trader Ridge site.

He noted that the school divisions still wanted to keep the ownership of some land in the Avondale area, next to the Composite High School and Peace Wapiti Academy, and did not want to sell land without still having some in the area for its future expansion. 

Cajolais said, “site preparation work could begin this summer, and then with the full facility, construction to be completed in the spring of 2026.”

Concerns

Some city councillors shared their concerns about the new locations.

“I think this may be the best interim 20-year solution to meeting the need for soccer,” said Coun. Chris Thiessen.

He said he is unsure about the Trader Ridge area as it does not have the infrastructure needed for a facility, such as wider roads, pathways for walking or transit service.

“I worry that we might be building a bottleneck.

“I don't know if putting it on the edge of our community is meeting that need of the community when people have to already drive to the Crosslink Centre to get access to soccer.”

He also noted the lack of transit availability in the area. 

Swan City FC president Derek Van Tassell spoke to council at Monday’s meeting and said a lack of transit was a disadvantage but going back to the drawing board would be worse.

“We have been talking about this for years, so if you go back to the drawing board, you're still a couple of years down the road, and that would be more detrimental,” said Van Tassell.

Coun. Wendy Bosch noted that it would be easier to add a transit route in the future than stop the project. 

Swan City FC told council on Monday it supports the facility being in the Trader Ridge area and noted it turned away more than 200 young athletes last year, so the need is great to have a facility.

Coun. Dylan Bressey said he believes the process of assessing what is needed in the community needs to improve.

He questioned if the city needs a FIFA-sized dome and if another structure may be more appropriate for another location.

“I'm just not convinced this the way to go,” he said. 

“I really don't think we've had a good process to really narrow down the actual needs of this community.”

Van Tassell said a FIFA-size field will help ensure more user groups; a smaller field may cause a backlog of players in the future. 

He noted the County of Grande Priarie’s Sportsplex has a field that is too small to split up for some of the needed activities in the region. 

He said if the city were to build smaller, they would still need additional builds soon, which would cost the city more in the long term.

Swan City FC said that a FIFA-sized field could also host future championship tournaments such as provincials and college athletics, bringing more sports tourism to the area. 

Coun. Grant Berg said he is hopeful that the north-end location will help see further additional retail, hotel, and housing development.

Cajolais said city administration met with stakeholders, including Swan City FC and local athletics clubs, and no concerns were raised about the Trader Ridge location. 

Scott Pravitz, a land developer next to the proposed site, also spoke to council and said he supported the project. 

The Leisure Centre was being utilized by Swan City FC for its youth soccer programming. Since its demolition, no alternative exists in the city.

Swan City FC proposed a soccer dome be constructed in place of the Leisure Centre in 2023. 

In November 2023, public consultation on a recreational facility in Avondale was conducted.