Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Temporary dressing room trailers may be coming to help Jasper host hockey tournaments this winter season as the arena undergoes construction.
James Jackson, president and CEO of Tourism Jasper, presented the proposal to council during its committee of the whole meeting on Sept. 12.
Because of the renovations to the Activity Centre and the Jasper Arena, which include adding new dressing rooms, the winter season will have limited dressing room capacity and thus impact Jasper’s ability to host hockey tournaments.
“And so, we’re here today with what we believe is a fairly, creative and community-based solution to address that,” Jackson told council.
“Our solution, we believe, offers adequate dressing room space to host tournaments this winter, November through April.”
Tourism Jasper has partnered with 10 local businesses to procure trailers with dressing rooms and has also been working with municipal administration.
The two trailers would provide four external dressing rooms for hockey teams during tournaments during the 2023-24 season.
The trailers won’t have restrooms but will have electricity and be heated by propane.
Although the trailers are being donated, the municipality would be responsible for maintaining those assets.
“One thing we wanted to be transparent about is that the actual tournaments have not been secured yet as they had already been canceled due to the construction,” Jackson said.
“So, a big component of this initiative would be going back out to the hockey community in the province to ensure that these tournaments can be produced.”
Jackson also discussed maintenance considerations, potential risks associated with the project and possible locations for the trailers, which have yet to be finalized.
CAO Bill Given emphasized that many details still needed to be worked out.
“I think we need to acknowledge that the arena capacity will still be limited,” Given said.
“Only one side of bleachers will be available and we also have reduced fire exiting, and so that reduces the overall capacity of the people that can be in the arena at any one time.”
The municipality would not only incur operating costs, which Jackson had estimated at $20,000, but would also take on liability by having an outdoor pathway between the trailers and the arena where athletes could potentially slip and injure themselves.
“Certainly, it is something that we can work to address to the best extent possible, but it is never going to be as good as having space inside,” Given said.
“And so, I think the question here is, is that level of risk acceptable to council?”
Coun. Rico Damota was one of several councillors who voiced his support for the project.
“I know, just from operating and managing businesses in the community, how important these tournaments are not only to the hotels but to the restaurants and a lot of the retail in the community,” Damota said.
“There’s jobs on the line here for just about everybody, so I think it’s important to at least try to advance this or champion and see what we can make of it.”
Coun. Ralph Melnyk asked if the dressing rooms would just be used for hockey tournaments or for regular practice in general, noting this would make a difference for operational costs.
Jackson replied that the main goal was to facilitate hockey tournaments, but the municipality was free to make the trailers available for hockey practices if it wished.
Coun. Wendy Hall noted that she has seen many kinds of arenas as a hockey parent, including ones where she had to walk outside to get to the arena.
“I don’t see that as an issue, and as far as tournaments being canceled, we have historically had waiting lists. People want to come here.”
The committee directed administration to continue to develop and pursue, in collaboration with Tourism Jasper, an operational plan to enhance a local hockey experience, including the hosting of tournaments for the 2023-24 hockey season.