$6M for southeast Family Leisure Centre

The Family Leisure Centre is getting a second ice rink, which may help ease Calgary's indoor ice crunch.

Premier Ed Stelmach announced $6 million Thursday for the southeast recreation centre. The money will go toward several improvements, including building a second arena, a new parking area, and making the building more accessible for wheelchairs.

The cash comes from the province's major community facilities program, a two-year, $280-million, lottery-funded program that helps municipalities, non-profit organizations and aboriginal communities plan, upgrade or build major public facilities.

The new arena is scheduled to be completed by October 2009.

In addition, the centre has raised $9.5 million in municipal funding for the arena, Southcentre Mall is donating $300,000 and Trico Homes has committed $1.5 million over 10 years. The leisure centre will be renamed the Trico Centre for Family Wellness.

Calgary has 48 sheets of ice available for public use, most owned by the city or community groups. A report commissioned by the city concluded Calgary will need at least 10 more sheets by 2010.