Another setback has pushed the opening date of the new gym at the Jasper Activity Centre (JAC) to mid-to-late August, says Project Manager Christopher Read.

The setback is due to the sub-contractor responsible for the plumbing and heating of the building going out of business. The general contractor, Stuart Olson Dominion, has found a new contractor to take over the work, however the project will be delayed by over a month. 

Read said Stuart Olson Dominion has done everything in their power to re-fill the position and get work back on track. 

“They have worked as quickly as they legally could,” he said. “It could have been 12 weeks.”

Gym pass holders will have to wait a bit longer, and Read appreciates the patience the community has shown. 

“There isn’t anything we could have done differently,” Read said. “We can apologize, but there isn’t really anything we can do.”

Read said gym passes were sold with the expectation that the new gym would be opened sooner than the new August deadline, however there was never any guarantee. 

The new deadline will not cost any additional money, but Read said the contingency budget set out with the original funding has been used up due to a few unforeseen issues that came up during renovations on the 50-year-old building. 

“Council was very clear in their direction,” Read said, adding that the budget could not be increased however the time schedule could be adjusted. Remaining open during construction has slowed things down, but Read is happy to have not closed down the space for months to get things done faster. 

“It’s been a long haul, [but] we are getting through,” he said. “We are moving forward, it’s just taking longer than we’d all like.”

The silver lining to the set back is that the new daycare space is open and almost ready to start accepting new children. The daycare yard has been expanded and more space will be allocated bordering on the new gym building once the construction is complete. Read estimates about 20 new spaces will be available, depending on the amount of toddlers and infants that enrol. The renovations to the daycare have made the staff more efficient, and the children are enjoying a brighter and more inviting space that uses natural lighting. Easier access to the yard and planned renovations to install a door have all streamlined the daycare’s operations. 

New gym equipment will be going into the new gym space once it opens, and Read said the community can expect up to 50 per cent new equipment to compliment the new space. There has consistently been room in the budget every year to replace equipment in the gym as it is needed, and only the best of the old equipment will be moved over, Read said.

“We’ll be able to change out more equipment sooner,” he said.

The Jasper Volunteer Fire Brigade has applied for a Pepsi Refresh grant of $5,000 to purchase a Jacob’s Ladder. The piece of exercise equipment is a continual ladder that will help train Jasper’s firefighters. The brigade is currently at number two on the grant list, and voting closes on June 30. The top four applications will receive funding in the $5,000 category. Voting can be done online at www.refresheverything.ca, and Read already has a spot picked out for the new equipment if Jasper wins.

The new building is beginning to take shape inside. The brand new climbing wall went up a few weeks ago and is now brightly painted. The wall wraps around a corner and goes from the least to most difficult, and should serve all abilities. 

“It’s exactly what we wanted it to do,” Read said. He hopes the old climbing wall, currently installed in the Multi-Purpose Hall, will find a home somewhere, either in Jasper or in another community in need of a climbing wall. 

The floor has been put down inside the building, and concrete has been added outside where the main entrance will be to hold the many bike racks that will end up there. 

“It is going to be amazing,” Read said. “As much as there have been some hurdles and delays, it is turning out to be the building the community wanted.”

The new building will be LEED certified, and under LEED, it must be easier to clean. To that end, steel grates at the entrance will keep dirt and mud outside, and no outdoor shoes will be allowed in the building. A much larger coat room with benches is being added to the entrance. Read said they have been making do in other rooms at the activity centre with coat rooms that are too small, by bringing in chairs and extra spots for footwear, but that will all be dealt with in the new building. Before only 50 pairs of shoes could be held, now there will be 300 spaces. 

Glass walls inside the building will keep everything open and inviting, while still allowing some privacy between the stretching and climbing rooms. The offices will be encased in glass so that the manager is always available to the customers. 

“The level of customer service will go through the roof,” Read said. 

The glass will also increase safety, and staff will be able to better monitor the equipment. In the current gym, equipment concerns sometimes go unnoticed by staff unless they are reported by users, which doesn’t always happen. The equipment will be laid out in a circuit for people to do if interested. 

The glass walls and many windows will let in natural light and allow staff to keep the electric lights dim. Municipal staff are anticipating their new office spaces that are being renovated by the Pyramid Avenue entrance to the JAC. Previously staff office space was in the centre of the building without any windows. The new offices will be bright and allow natural light in. 

As for the old gym space in the original activity centre building, Read said the basement will be renovated into new dormitories for summer camps. The building itself will be more efficient with new water boilers and a heat capture system from the arena’s ice making that will help heat the entire building. Pieces being removed from the building are being recycled as much as possible. 

More updates and photos of the inside of the new building can be found on the municipality’s website at www.jasper-alberta.com