WinSport day lodge receives $17.4M for first major upgrades since 1988

Calgary’s WinSport received $17.4 million from the federal government as part of a $40 million renovation plan for its 35-year-old lodge on Monday.

The Frank King Day Lodge was initially a media centre for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, and it has not received any major renovations since that time.

WinSport is looking to secure the remaining funds for the project, which is expected to cost between $39 million and $43 million.

Liberal MP George Chahal announced on Aug. 29 that the federal government is going to chip in for the redevelopment of the lodge.

“The Government of Canada is committed to supporting infrastructure projects that improve the places where we live and gather, making them more green and accessible to all those who visit. With this federal support, Calgarians and visitors from around the world will benefit from the newly renovated WinSport Day Lodge for decades to come,” said Chahal in a statement.

The CEO and president of WinSport, Barry Heck, says the renovations will revitalize and expand the lodge, adding accessibility and inclusivity to the current design.

Heck also says the lodge was on its last legs, and the renovations will bring it back.

“All of these elements are very exciting to us. It’s just going to really enhance the guest experience and the health and wellness of our guests and our users,” Heck said.

“So that will all be taken into consideration into the various design elements as we renovate this whole facility.”

The start date of the 18-month project is still not known, but Heck says he would like to get started at the end of April 2023, in time for the end of ski season.

“When we do enter into construction, the ski hill will still be fully operational. We’re going to have to figure out how to operate the ski hill without the use of the day lounge because we will vacate it while we renovate,” Heck told CityNews.

Renovations are said to include four key design objectives, with all of them revolving around accessibility routes, proper communication and signage, a public use space, and sports services facilities.

Heck adds that despite the renovations, WinSport facility won’t change its design greatly.

“We will always make sure we honour and preserve to the extent possible our history and where we came from,” Heck said. “We (will) never forget where we came from, but we always have to remember where we’re going.”

The four design objectives behind the renovations include:

• Barrier-free movement between the parking lot, day lodge and recreation facilities;
• Improved internal circulation, communication and signage, and accessible routes inside the building;
• An expansion and reconfiguration to optimize the size and location of guest service facilities, public use space, and sport services facilities;
• Reducing and optimizing the building’s long-term environmental impact by transitioning the building to a net-zero facility.

The money comes from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program.