Hawkwood Facility Update by Scott Boulanger

As mentioned in previous facility updates, Hawkwood Community Association has procured the services of CDC Consultants to help in the construction of a community facility on Hawkstone field. The plan is to give monthly updates in the Hawk Eye as well as regular updates in the facilities section of our website www.hawkwoodcalgary.com. We will be discussing community facility plans at the May 27^th special meeting for the Off-Leash Park issue at the Uplands Recreation Centre at 7:30 PM.

With the great success of the Hawkwood rink in bringing our community together the past two years, the plan is to build a facility centered on outdoor recreation. The initial plans include:

• One main rink with boards (refrigeration roughed in)
• One mini-rink with boards (refrigeration roughed in)
• One Free skate area with landscaping and a fire pit on the ice
• A building to replace our current shed for storage, changing area, bathrooms and a meeting area.
• Basketball Hoops

The design has been specifically chosen to cater to families of all ages while ensuring that the resulting facility will be aesthetically pleasing and blend into the surroundings as much as possible. Some summer uses foreseen are:

• Basketball
• Skate park
• Roller/street hockey
• Possible splash park
• Possible tennis courts

Due to city by-laws, we will need to build a parking lot for our facility. Initial plans have this parking lot located where the existing outdoor ice surface is located. The footprint of the entire facility would be L-shaped and would extend west from the existing ice surface, approximately halfway into the field and then north towards the playground. The plan is to keep the facility and the main rink as far away from residences as possible. This footprint would not interfere with the existing softball or soccer fields on Hawkstone field.

We have a unique opportunity to build something fantastic for our community. Hawkwood is one of the only communities in the area without community facilities for its residents to enjoy. We would like to build a facility for all to enjoy and we need to get started somewhere. We believe we have a good start to our facility plans but we would like feedback from you – the residents of Hawkwood. Please contact us at facility@hawkwoodcalgary.com with your comments and suggestions. Alternatively you may contact us by mail at the address shown on the first page of the Hawkeye. It will not be easy to please everybody but we are committed to building the best facility for all residents of Hawkwood.