6429 Community Events Funding to go towards twinning arena and enclosing the Devon Community Pool Devon is excited to announce the approval of $13.5M in funding from the federal and provincial governments to expand the current Dale Fisher Arena into a multi-use recreation facility. In total, the Town will receive $7,357,885 in federal funding and $6,130,958 in provincial funding from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure grant program (ICIP) which supports infrastructure projects to create jobs, grow the economy and support healthier and more sustainable communities. “This is a huge win for our community and I would like to thank both the provincial and federal government for supporting us by awarding Devon with the ICIP grant which will allow us to expand our existing facility by doubling its ice surface and enclosing our pool, creating an aquatic centre for year-round use,” said Ray Ralph, Mayor for the Town of Devon. “We have been working on the finer details of this project for almost 3 years, patiently waiting for grant funding to be awarded and are now closer than ever to making it a reality. While this facility will benefit our residents and facility user groups, it will also contribute to our continued efforts to bring new development to Devon.” What kind of improvements will be in the expanded facility? The design of the expanded facility is still in preliminary stages, however based on community feedback, some improvements the Town is looking to bring to the facility include: Addition of a second sheet of ice to accommodate current and new user groups and activities Enclosing the Devon Community Pool and transforming it into a year-round aquatic facility Adding an exercise room, upper level running track and other amenities Solar panels & energy efficient ice plant to reduce long-term operating costs Background In 2018, the Town looked at a proposal to build a recreation facility across HWY 60 that would act as an anchor tenant to help bring a branded hotel to Devon along with new commercial and industrial growth. Public participation played a large role in the “West of 60” project and after engaging the community and recognizing support for the project was split, the Town revisted the project to determine if there were alternative solutions to bring development to Devon and address what residents wanted in a recreation facility. One of these alternative solutions that was eligible to qualify for government funding was the expansion of an existing arena facility and on Aug. 25, 2020 the provincial and federal governments announced that the Dale Fisher Arena expansion project had received the ICIP grant. Next Steps The next steps of this project include tendering out for the final detailed design of the expanded facility. Construction could begin as early as spring 2021 if all project components fall into place. Project Updates The Town will provide regular updates on the Dale Fisher Arena expansion project as information becomes available on the Town of Devon website at devon.ca, Town social media and the Our Devon News newsletter. -30- For more information contact: Justin Janke Communications Coordinator Town of Devon P: 780-987-8302 E: JJanke@devon.ca Tony Kulbisky Chief Administrative Officer Town of Devon P: 780-987-8301 E: TKulbisky@devon.ca Share Print