The Christ the Redeemer School Division is facing setbacks in developing a track and field expansion for St. Anthony’s School in Drumheller after concerns have been raised over the stability of the ground at the site.
The project, which had initially planned to create a provincial-class running track and soccer/football field, with bleachers, may be reduced to just the development of a field after technical analysis of a slope at the site suggested it may be too instable and risky for such an expensive development, says school division director of facilities David Lunn.
“A grass field is one thing, but you go to the sophistication of a running track and the work that goes into that is quite another story,” Lunn said.
He said the division is waiting on approval from the Drumheller’s Municipal Planning Commission, which will review the altered development plans as due process. The project including the track portion was previously approved by the commission.
Lunn said he’s confident the project will be approved and that sod will be in place for students when they return in September.
“The students haven’t had any grass for five or six years – it’s almost criminal,” said Lunn.
The field and track expansion was originally estimated to cost around $500,000, but the reduced scale of the project will likely bring a lower price tag for the project. Lunn said this may allow for more infrastructure and equipment, such as a scoreboard, to be purchased for the field once it’s completed.
Backhoes are currently on-site at the school, but are only cleaning up and leveling the site.
