The Lloydminster Golf and Curling Centre is 48 years old, and it shows.
A facility improvement plan presented to city council Monday puts the cost of keeping the building functional at just under $10 million over multiple phases – and warns that without investment, the city risks losing another aging facility the way it lost the old museum and the Centennial Civic Centre.
The report was prepared by architect Robert Pastrick and Associate following site visits, stakeholder engagement, and a review of the building’s architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical components.
What the report found
The building, constructed in 1978 with racquetball courts added in 1979, covers approximately 34,000 square feet. It has seen some repairs over the years but has had very little meaningful reinvestment since it was built.
The report identified critical issues across nearly every system in the building.
On the electrical side, the main distribution board is original and in poor condition. The main distribution transformer is original and past its expected service life. All but two branch circuit panels were installed when the building was constructed and are operating beyond their expected lifespan. Emergency and exit lighting needs to be replaced.
Mechanically, the HVAC system, plumbing, and building management system are all at or near the end of their service life. The ice plant is beginning to show signs of age, with a depressed area on the pad affecting floor temperatures.
The freight elevator is at the end of its serviceable life and parts are increasingly difficult to source.
Hazardous materials – including asbestos – are present in the building and will require abatement during each phase of any construction work.
On the accessibility side, washrooms on both levels do not meet current barrier-free code requirements. The barrier-free path on the outside of the building does not meet current standards. A passenger elevator is recommended to provide accessible access inside the facility.
Cart wash drainage is currently directing water toward the building, causing ongoing damage to the foundation.
What it will cost
The consultant’s cost estimate – prepared as a Class C estimate with a margin of plus or minus 15 to 20 per cent – puts the total cost of required upgrades at just under $10 million.
That figure covers what is needed to keep the building operational and does not include a separate list of optional program upgrades suggested by the consultant. Those additions – including a flex room created from the underused racquetball court, a circulation space on the lower level, a patio extension, pro shop office improvements, and squash court access changes – would add approximately $1.9 million.
The $10 million figure also does not include civil servicing or general contractor overhead.
How it would be phased
The report breaks the work into three phases.
Short term – one to two years – covers signage and wayfinding, power door operators, air handling units in the racquetball courts, curling ventilation, the building management system, and the main electrical distribution board, transformer, and circuit panels.
Medium term – three to five years – covers cart wash drainage, washroom renovations, change room plumbing, and lighting and life safety systems.
Long term – six or more years – covers the passenger elevator, kitchen HVAC, the refrigeration plant, ice surface hydronic heating, fire protection, and replacing the freight elevator.
The lesson from other buildings
City administration made a pointed comparison at council Monday. The old museum and the Centennial Civic Centre both deteriorated past the point of viable investment because reinvestment was deferred too long.
“When it comes to aging facilities, if you aren’t going to invest in the facilities at some point you’re not going to be able to invest in them because they’ve deteriorated past the point of repair,” city administration said.
The golf and curling centre has already experienced closures due to exposed hazardous materials, flooding from pipes that had deteriorated rather than simply broken, and air quality issues – all signs, administration said, that the building is entering a critical window.
“We’re seeing things start to go,” administration said. “Now’s the time to invest because we don’t want them to create larger emergencies.”
Golf is thriving. Curling is growing.
Despite the building’s condition, both user groups are doing well.
Golf at the LGCC is described by city administration as being at an all-time high – and is noted as the only recreation facility in the city currently generating revenue. Curling is on an upswing, with growing membership and events like the Safety Challenge bringing elite international competitors to Lloydminster.
Administration noted that without investment in the aging infrastructure, neither sport can continue to grow – and both amenities could eventually be lost to the community.
What administration is recommending
Three options were presented to council.
Option one would proceed with the phase one design only, using $215,000 already approved in the 2026 capital budget.
Option two would defer the entire project to 2027 to allow a full coordinated design.
Option two B – the option administration is recommending – would complete the full design in 2026 using the $215,000 already approved, combined with $565,000 in Local Government Fiscal Framework funding available from the 2025 surplus, and $182,000 from the LGCC capital reserve. Total design cost: $962,000.
Administration argues completing the full design at once minimizes rework, reduces consulting costs, and – critically – makes the project shovel ready for any federal grants that become available for facility retrofits.
Council did not give direction Monday. The item returns to the May 25 regular council meeting.
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