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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Council ends reduced fine option for early ticket payment, school and playground zones start at 7 AM

Published on January 15, 2025

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City Council approves first reading of updated Traffic Bylaw and General Penalty Bylaw

Red Deer City Council completed first reading of updated Traffic Bylaw (3707/2025) and General Penalties Bylaw (3036/A-2025) that will provide clarity and consistency in application of the bylaws as well as eliminate challenges in enforcement.

Key updates to the bylaws include:

Ticket Pre-Payment:
- Removing the option to pay a parking ticket early to receive a reduced fee from the General Penalty Bylaw and adding it to the Traffic Bylaw.

School and Playground Zone Start Times:
- Through investigating requests from schools to have school and playground zones start at 7 a.m., rather than 8 a.m., Administration determined that almost all school and playground zones in the city have students on the street prior to 7:30 a.m. To be consistent across the city, the start time is being moved to 7 a.m. providing an added measure of safety for all students.

Salt on Sidewalks:
- Removing the provision prohibiting the use of salt on sidewalks as this provision was rarely reported and it is difficult and costly to enforce.

Permits:
- More structure was added to the bylaw to clearly articulate conditions and requirements of Use of Streets Permits, as well as Excavation Permits and Alignment Permits.
- Lastly, fees for closures impacting on-street and off-street stalls have been adjusted to reflect the actual revenue in each parking zone rather than the flat fee.

Penalties:
- Penalties have been reviewed and updated.
- During the last bylaw adoption, the penalty associated with vehicles being towed due to snow or street sweeping operations was inadvertently missed. This penalty has been added back in at a slightly higher amount due to an increase in the cost to tow a vehicle through The City’s contractor. This prevents the costs associated with towing vehicles during these operations from being subsidized by the tax base.

“These updates streamline the bylaws to create clarity for residents and administration,” said Erin Stuart, Inspections and Licensing Manager with The City. “They also help to eliminate regulations that are challenging to enforce and bring penalties in line with other City Bylaws.”

Second reading of both bylaws is anticipated for January 27, 2025.

City of Red Deer

City Council suspends payments on Westerner’s $19 million loan

Published on January 15, 2025

City of Red Deer

Westerner Exhibition Association (WEA) loan agreement adjusted

City Council passed second and third reading of a loan amendment bylaw to suspend interest and principal payments related to a $19 million WEA loan with the goal to further support WEA’s financial sustainability.

The item was back in front of Council today after first reading occurred in December 2024, at which time Council expressed the need for a more detailed report on the impacts of WEA’s loan on the City’s financial position.

“Today’s decision is all about providing WEA additional time to achieve financial stability while recognizing its role in generating significant economic activity in the region. WEA hosts 1,500 events annually and welcomes 1.5 million visitors each year,” said Mike Olesen, Growth and Finance General Manager.

Between September 2021 and today, City Council has continued to adjust and respond to the evolving needs related to the loan agreement.

Recently, The City of Red Deer, Red Deer County, the Westerner Park Foundation and the Donald family each contributed $500,000 to the sustainability of WEA. Normally under the existing terms of the loan agreement and loan bylaw, this injection of cash would trigger a loan payment back to The City. However, the intention is to give WEA the time and funds to recover and reach sustainability and today’s decision to suspend interest and principal payments on the $19 million loan responds to this need.

With these adjustments to the conditions of the loan, WEA must still pay the loan in its entirety by the end of the loan’s term. This decision has an impact on the City’s financial position in the short term, but as WEA ‘s financial performance stabilizes, payments on the loan are anticipated to return. This is some of the additional information provided to City Council today.

“To reiterate, this does not mean that the $18.7 million remaining debt is forgiven, but rather that The City must temporarily report a change to our financial statements to better reflect the real value of the loan at a point in time,” said Mike Olesen, Growth and Finance General Manager.

“Westerner has a three-year business plan, and its success is contingent on the changes made today, and the involvement and contributions of partners, including the Province. We still need to continue to recognize the realities and time it takes to recover being a major agriculture society and event centre in our Province and region,” said Tara Lodewyk, City Manager. “The Westerner is working hard to make positive changes that improve its financial situation and the experience for our community. We can all help. It is as easy as choosing to attend one of the many events at the park, and we encourage our citizens to do just that.”

With today’s decision, loan payments will be paused until April 1, 2027, enabling WEA to focus on its recovery plan. This suspension aligns with ongoing financial contributions and recovery planning efforts by The City, Red Deer County, the Province of Alberta, and other stakeholders.

During this period, Westerner Exhibition Association will present annual financial updates to City Council.