Ruhland & Associates Ltd. is happy to be involved in a community project – the City’s first open-air covered refrigerated rink at the Canterbury Recreation Complex, 2185 Arch Street in Alta Vista is now under construction, and scheduled to open in December.
The new name of the rink was unveiled at the groundbreaking ceremony, held on May 10th, 2017. It will be known as the The Jim Tubman Chevrolet Sens Rink, reflecting the main sponsors of the new facility: Jim Tubman Chevrolet, and Ottawa Senators Foundation.
The ceremony was attended by Mayor Jim Watson and Councillor Jean Cloutier, representatives from Jim Tubman Chevrolet, the Ottawa Senators Foundation and the Canterbury Community Association and members of the public.
The Canterbury Recreation Complex in Alta Vista is already home to a pool, community centre, the Brian Kilrea Arena and a park with baseball diamonds, basketball and tennis courts, a splash pad, playground and wading pool. The new rink will be integrated with the existing facilities which will also be improved with new swings, plantings and pathways.
The rink is to be located between the pool and the tennis courts, with stepped seating taking up the grade change. During the design process, care has been taken to preserve as many of the existing mature trees as possible. Where tree removal is unavoidable, there will be a minimum of two new trees planted for each one taken out.
“The new outdoor refrigerated rink will complement these community assets and will offer a new option for ice time in addition to the busy and popular Brian Kilrea Arena,” Alta Vista Coun. Jean Cloutier said during the groundbreaking and christening ceremony. “This innovative facility will increase access to hockey and open public skating during a four to five month ice-in season.”
There are many possibilities for the rink’s use out of ice season, such as existing activities, tai chi, low-impact aerobics and yoga. There are also many possibilities for new programs, including ball hockey, lacrosse and an obstacle course, art shows, an agricultural fair with urban gardeners and a winter fair during Winterlude, according to John Marshall, president of the Canterbury Community Association.
A call for public art for the rink has been completed, and the final artwork selected is “Sky Hockey” by Christopher Griffin