Stony Plain has been working toward this building since 2017. Nine years later, it is going up.
The Stony Plain Regional Community Recreation Facility is under construction next to the new Westview School, west of Glenn Hall Centennial Arena in Old Town South. The total approved project budget is $41,651,871. Construction began in earnest in spring 2025. The outer shell is up, parking lot paving is complete, and interior mechanical, plumbing, and electrical work is underway. The facility is on schedule and on budget for a Q4 2026 opening.
"It has been an exciting construction season watching the Community Recreation Facility take shape," said Mayor William Choy. "Once complete, this facility will serve our residents and future generations for years to come."
What is going inside
The Stony Plain Regional Community Recreation Facility is not a standard community centre. The amenity list goes well beyond what most small Alberta cities have built in recent years:
A six-sheet curling facility the centrepiece of the building and the element that has been years in the making for Stony Plain's curling community. A dryland fieldhouse with a full indoor turf field. Two multi-purpose sport courts. Pickleball courts. An indoor walking and running track. Community gathering spaces. Change rooms and lounge areas. A concession. Administration offices.
The design was completed by BR2 Architecture and construction is being handled by Jen-Col Construction, the Edmonton-based company with a track record of major Alberta institutional builds.
The six-sheet curling rink
This is worth pausing on because it is the most unusual element of the facility and the one with the deepest community history behind it.
Stony Plain's Westridge Curling Club is one of the funding partners on the project. The club has been operating out of aging infrastructure and has been a driving force behind the push for a new facility. A dedicated six-sheet curling facility not a converted multipurpose floor or a seasonal setup is a significant commitment for a community of Stony Plain's size.
For context: most communities that have curling facilities are operating with two or four sheets. Six sheets means the facility can host bonspiels, regional competitions, and league play simultaneously without conflicts. It makes Stony Plain competitive as a curling destination for the entire Tri-Municipal Region and beyond.
Nine years in the making
The project's history is worth understanding because it explains why this opening matters to the community the way it does.
In 2017, the Tri-Region Indoor Recreation Facility Strategy analyzed recreational capacity across the Tri-Municipal Region Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, and Parkland County and identified areas where growth was needed. That study became the foundation for everything that followed.
Council identified a recreation facility as a strategic priority in 2018. Planning proceeded through the following years, complicated by COVID, budget pressures, and the complexity of designing a regional facility that serves multiple municipalities. The project was formally approved by Council in April 2024. Groundbreaking happened in October 2024. Major construction began in spring 2025.
From the 2017 study to the 2026 opening is nine years. For the residents, clubs, and organizations that pushed for this throughout that period, the Q4 2026 timeline is not just a project milestone. It is the end of a very long wait.
Where it is and what surrounds it
The facility is located in Old Town South, next to the new Westview School and west of Glenn Hall Centennial Arena. The site was chosen deliberately it clusters major community infrastructure in one area, creating a campus feel that allows residents to combine school drop-off, arena time, and recreation facility visits without crossing the entire town.
The design also allows for future phased expansion aquatics and ice facilities are specifically mentioned as potential future additions. The footprint and structural design have been built to accommodate those additions when the community is ready to fund them.
Who is funding it
The $41,651,871 total budget is supported by multiple funding partners. The Town of Stony Plain is the primary funder. Additional contributions come from Parkland County, local developer contributions through area redevelopment levies, and the Westridge Curling Club's partnership on the curling facility component.
The project is on budget as of the most recent council update —a notable achievement for a project of this scale in an era when construction cost overruns have become routine across Alberta.
What this means for Spruce Grove and Parkland County residents
The word regional in the name is not just branding. The 2017 Tri-Municipal Region Indoor Recreation Facility Strategy identified gaps across Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, and Parkland County and this facility is the direct result.
Spruce Grove has the Tri Leisure Centre but no dedicated curling facility or indoor turf fieldhouse. Parkland County covers a massive rural area with limited indoor recreation options residents have historically driven to Spruce Grove or Stony Plain for structured programming. The new facility fills both of those gaps.
Parkland County is a funding partner on the project because its residents benefit directly. This was designed from the start to serve all three municipalities, not just the city it sits in.
What to expect when it opens
Q4 2026 means October through December 2026. No specific opening date has been confirmed. For construction updates, timelapse videos, and progress photos visit stonyplain.com/RecFacility or subscribe to the Town of Stony Plain newsroom.
Sources:
Town of Stony Plain, Community Recreation Facility project page (stonyplain.com/play/parks-and-recreation/community-recreation-facility)
Town of Stony Plain, Construction Begins on Community Recreation Facility, March 19, 2025 (stonyplain.com)
Town of Stony Plain, Construction is Underway on the New Community Recreation Facility, October 2025 (stonyplain.com)
Town of Stony Plain, Community Recreation Facility Update Presented to Council, June 10, 2025 (stonyplain.com)
88.1 The One, Stony Plain Breaks Ground on New Regional Community Recreation Facility, October 15, 2024 (onefm.ca)
Jen-Col Construction, Stony Plain Community Recreation Centre project page (jen-col.com)
Alberta Major Projects Registry, Stony Plain Regional Community Recreation Facility (majorprojects.alberta.ca)
