September 27 at 12pm Update:

Earlier today, Rocky View County announced that the Chestermere Recreation Centre would remain open provided that a snow monitoring program is put in place. 

A statement from Chestermere Mayor Chalmers is recorded and availabe here:

Text: This morning, Rocky View Council had a special meeting and revisited their decision to close the entire Rec facility. The decision to have this meeting is something that I advocated for, on the grounds that all of the available information was not presented to them during their initial meeting. I am delighted that Rocky View County Council have decided to reopen the facility and allow for full operations while not compromising public safety with an effective snow monitoring program. We look forward to operations resuming back to normal in due course. This is a step in the right direction.

I will continue to be personally engaged on this file and will keep public safety and programming opportunities as a priority. 

While my role throughout this ordeal has been an advocate for common sense, it has become clear to me that the City of Chestermere, Rocky View County and the Recreation Association need to continue our dialogue about how to best provide quality recreation services to our residents and the types of facilities and costs to make that a reality. 

In conclusion, I would like to say that I am grateful for all of the comments, emails and telephone calls I have received from residents on this issue and from the guidance and support I have received from our Administration. 

Thank you. 

September 26 6pm Update:

Representatives from Rocky View County, the Chestermere Regional Community Association, and the City of Chestermere met to discuss Rocky View County Council’s public safety concerns regarding the structural integrity of the red arena.

All three parties agree public safety cannot be compromised. There is a shared effort underway to resume regular operations as soon as possible.

At this time, the centre is set to still close at 5 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, September 27 as announced.

Further information will be released as soon as it becomes available.

September 26 Video from Mayor Chalmers:

September 25: 

Last night, Rocky View County passed a resolution to close the Chestermere Recreation Centre as of 5 p.m. on Friday, September 27.

Mayor Marshall Chalmers and City of Chestermere Chief Administrative Officer, Bernie Morton are in process of learning more about that decision and are collaborating with Rocky View County and the Chestermere Regional Community Association to address these challenges.

The City is working to mitigate concerns and is committed to continuing to provide quality services to Chestermere residents.

Mayor Chalmers is in Edmonton at the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) sessions with other communities but has been on top of the Rec Centre issue and has this to say: 

We understand that Rocky View County owns the land on which the recreation centre is located and we suggest that media contact the County media line for more comments about their decision. You can reach them at 403-230-1401 or media@rockyview.ca