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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Published on January 23, 2025

Duane Rolheiser

It’s a telling detail about the person who leads Red Deer City Council. Always putting the city’s needs ahead of his own, Mayor Ken Johnston has announced his intentions within days of the opening of Nominations for October’s municipal elections,

After 12 years on council, Mayor Ken Johnston has decided against running for a second term as Mayor this fall. Johnson shared his decision in front of colleagues and supporters in a touching announcement on Wednesday.

At 71 years old, Johnston remains vibrant, passionate and healthy. He says that’s exactly why he and his wife Carolyn have decided now is the right time to start their next stage of life together.

Mayor Johnston listed a number of highlights and achievements he can look back on, including his help advocating for the redevelopment of Red Deer Regional Hospital, the growth of Red Deer Polytechnic, and positive moves in Economic Development.

All these lead of a feeling of ease about the decision to step away, though affordable housing and a permanent shelter for the homeless remain pressing concerns.

With about 8 months remaining in his term, Mayor Johnston is planning to push hard to move the needle on these housing issues.

“We’re looking forward to some more work and we’ll be going to the community shortly about it. So I still have optimism that maybe before the term is out we can have an announcement.”

This is the second major political announcement in Central Alberta in the last number of days. Earlier this week Red Deer Mountain View MP Earl Dreeshen announced he won’t be running in the next federal election.

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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

Duane Rolheiser

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.