Upgrades to Woody’s Athletic Park begin next week

New track sub-surface and rubber overlay, curbing and barrier-free pedestrian access are all part of the upcoming construction project at Woody’s Athletic Park. On June 26 construction crews will begin mobilizing at the athletic park next to Lindsay Thurber High School to begin the nearly three-month project.

The project will see the replacement of the track’s sub-surface and rubber overlay, installation of inside lane curbing, and creation of barrier-free access throughout the amenity. These upgrades will allow for Woody’s Athletic Park to achieve World Athletics Certification. Obtaining this certification will allow groups to host provincial, national and even international competitions.

“The upgrades to the park will help us to achieve World Athletics Certification, providing more opportunity to attract large scale track and field events to our community,” said Kristin Walsh, Safe & Healthy Communities Manager. “Woody’s Athletic Park already hosts many local competitions, but with the upgrades, there will be an opportunity to host provincial, national, even international events right here in Red Deer.”

Phase One – where we are at:

The first phase will see the existing rubber surface removed to repair and resurface 40-year-old sub-surface, as well as the construction of barrier-free pedestrian pathways to access the park. This phase is anticipated to take about a month. Once complete, the asphalt will sit for about two weeks as a requirement of the new synthetic topcoat surface.

Phase Two – where we’ll go next:

The second phase will begin in August, and it will include the rubber overlay on the track as well as curbing on the inside of turns or lane 1. The new rubber overlay will be red, rather than the current black surface.

Community impact

The impact to the community includes no access to the athletic park during construction until the anticipated re-opening date of September 15. There will be signage and additional fencing to restrict access to the construction area to eliminate risk to the general public, as with any construction site. There should be no impact to surrounding roads, pathways and trails. There may be minor disruptions in the initial set up of the construction access early July, and potential interruption as construction equipment access the site throughout the project.

The user groups who regularly book the track during the summer have found alternate locations to train and compete this year during the closure.

Woody’s Athletic Park is maintained and booked by The City of Red Deer. The total budget for this project is $1.45 million. The project is funded by The City of Red Deer, Red Deer Public School Division, Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools, Red Deer Titans Track & Field Club, and sponsorship.

The name

The renaming of the amenity to Woody’s Athletic Park occurred in 2023, following a financial contribution by long-time resident, Woody Paylor. Permanent signage featuring the new name will be installed throughout the construction project.

Contact Information

Address: 4204-58 Street (map)
Located on Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School grounds.

For booking information contact Facility and Park Rentals or email [email protected] or call your bookings specialist at 403-309-8421. Our bookings specialist will ask you for details of your planned event, discuss amenities and walk you through the bookings process.

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Upgrades to Woody’s Athletic Park begin next week

City of Red Deer / 1 month ago

City Council paving the way for more house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes

City of Red Deer / 1 month ago

City says Red Deer residents impressed by changes to snow and ice control program

City of Red Deer

City Council paving the way for more house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes

Published on May 13, 2024

City of Red Deer

Council adopts new Zoning Bylaw

At Monday’s regular City Council meeting, City Council passed second and third reading of the Zoning Bylaw 3357/2024, replacing the former Land Use Bylaw.

The goal of the Zoning Bylaw is to reduce red tape, permit more uses in each zone and improve ease and understanding of the document. Notable updates include:

Reduction from 11 residential districts to 9 zones
Reduction from 7 commercial districts to 6 zones
Reduction from 5 industrial districts to 3 zones
More permitted uses in each zone
More gentle density options to provide increased housing options, including house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes
Increased building heights to 12.5m that considers sightlines and privacy of existing dwellings
Greater flexibility for development applications
Expanded definitions
Reduction of duplex side yards, removal of side yard setbacks on corner lots, and reduced frontage in residential narrow lots to improve competitiveness
New regulations to gently transition existing neighbourhoods to maintain character

Following adoption of the Zoning Bylaw, the following amendments were made by City Council.

Proposed Amendment	Public Hearing Date
Increase suites from 15% to 25% of the houses in a neighbourhood.	June 24, 2024
Allow commercial uses on the main floor of R-H Residential High Density.	June 24, 2024
Correct errors in the PS Public Service Zone use list: (*Recommended) a) Gaming and Gambling Establishment (Only at the Westerner) b) Education Primary & Secondary – Add to discretionary use list	May 27, 2024
Returning the Cannabis Retail Sales setbacks to be consistent with the current Land Use Bylaw 3357/2006	May 27, 2024

“The new Zoning Bylaw incorporates years of public feedback and best practices to make a Zoning Bylaw that will result in more housing options, easier development, and ultimately will improve our competitiveness,” said David Girardin, Major Projects Planner. “With the approval of the Zoning Bylaw today, we are not finished our community engagement as there will be future public hearings on potential amendments in the coming weeks, as well as more formal public participation for each additional phase of the Zoning Bylaw.”

The Zoning Bylaw will come into effect in 30 days. Public participation for phase two of the Zoning Bylaw will begin later this year. For more information, visit engage.reddeer.ca.

City of Red Deer

City says Red Deer residents impressed by changes to snow and ice control program

Published on May 13, 2024

City of Red Deer

City Council reviews pilot snow and ice control program

This past winter, The City of Red Deer piloted changes to the snow and ice control program that focused on restoring mobility sooner and providing safe, accessible and well-maintained transportation infrastructure for all.

Major changes included 24/7 operations for residential street clearing, increased traction control throughout the city, additional sidewalk, trail and staircase clearing, and decreased timelines for bus stop clearing. On Monday City Council reviewed the 2023-24 snow and ice control operational report which outlined the pilot’s successes and challenges, as well as the learnings and opportunities for improvement.

“Overall, our more responsive approach to snow and ice control resulted in better mobility for motorists and pedestrians, and a greater quality of winter road maintenance,” said Greg Sikora, Manager of Parks and Public Works. “Of the many successes of the pilot program, the community was most pleased with the noticeable improvement in traction control and our ability to clear Green Routes within six days, thanks to moving Green Route plowing to 24/7 operations.”

Improvements to pedestrian, cyclist and motorist transportation networks include:

Increased presence and effectiveness of pre-treating, plowing, and sanding on major arterials, hills and bridges, with two and four-hour traction control equipment cycles,
5 locations of staircase clearing,
43 km of neighbourhood asphalt trails cleared after each snowfall,
Inclusion of second side sidewalks (9 km)
635 transit stop clearing: 61 high priority cleared in 1 day, 153 medium priority cleared within 3 days, an additional 421 supplemental stops cleared within 7 days.

Throughout the pilot program, The City connected with the community to get feedback on operations including regular check-ins with the Engaged Citizens Group, two broad public surveys, a transit rider survey and the Citizen Satisfaction Survey.

Overall, citizens felt arterial roadways, hills and bridges were adequately maintained, and were satisfied with the Green Route plowing operation, with little concern raised about nighttime operations and 24/7 parking bans. Residents reported a prominent level of satisfaction with the additional mobility of trails, sidewalks and staircases, and there was improved public awareness of snow clearing programs.

Additionally, a noticeable improvement in adherence to the parking ban resulted in less than 100 tickets being issued this year. Complaint call volumes and service requests for traction control also trended downward this year.

“While we’ve received positive feedback from the community, we know there is always room for improvement. Our greatest challenges to the snow and ice control program remains the variability of weather, pivoting operations from a plow based program to a traction control focus and choosing the right time to execute Green and Grey Route plows,” said Manager Sikora.

In June 2023, Council adopted the revised Integrated and Accessible Transportation Policy (IAATP), which focuses on providing the community with mobility services based on four guiding principles: safe, accessible, well-maintained and accountable.

City Council will consider the future level of service at the May 27 City Council meeting.