As promised, here is the third draft of my Master Development Plan. The Key Points to lead this presentation with will be as follows;

1) An Historical Account
2) Building & Site
3) Community Activities Centre
4) Medical Centre
5) Travel Centre
6) Covered Soccer Field
7) Alberta Tennis Training Centre
8) Reach Basketball Court
9) Resort Hotel & Affordable Housing
10) Educational Complex Centre

An Historical Account

Let’s start with a little bit of history.
Being an Edmontonian born and raised has allowed me to appreciate some valuable history over 63 years.

It takes me back to Klondike Days, The Midway, fireworks, and The Edmonton Gardens. There are many memories that could easily be shared by four generations. Particularly when you speak of the Grand Stand Fireworks and the Edmonton Gardens. Hockey goes right back to the Eskimos, the WHA, and the best greasy hot dogs. Tickets were only $6.00 and including when the circus came to town. One of my best memories was when an exhibition match put on with Mohammed Ali, when he was banned from boxing, an experience I will never forget. It was not just his boxing ability, he was truly a showman.

Then came a time when the fire Marshall required some changes, one being the removal of wooden bleachers in favor of concrete ones. The City went even further with their renovations, reinforcing the roof so the columns could be removed, providing an unobstructed view of the action below. The seating capacity was reduced to 5200, over 1200 more seats than our Expo Centre. Even after all this investment, the decision was made to demolish the building in favor of more parking space. This was a very hard pill for many as it took five tries with dynamite to finally bring that iconic building down.

So why such a history lesson?

This brings us to the Building & Site which as you may have deduced, is what we call today, The Edmonton Coliseum. When I recently heard of its fate, it made absolutely no sense to me, so I went on a fact-finding mission. Contacting RJC Engineering put me in touch with one of their most senior people, Frank, who had revealed his structural engineering firm was involved with the Coliseum from start to closing. RJC Engineering did a little of everything from putting in sky boxes to certifying and approving loads that could be hung from the roof. From what I understood, this was one of the strongest roofs ever built. As to the building it’s self, he shared that ” the building is on piles and has well settled after 50 years.” He went on to state, “The coliseum is structurally sound as is…” Only if you wanted to alter the structural integrity of the building, you would need to call them in specifically to approve or disallow any changes. My master development plan utilizes the building as is…and the site itself is a blank canvas that can accommodate everything to do with a transit hub and much more. This got my creative juices going.

Community Activities Centre

The Community Activities Centre, also known as the Edmonton Coliseum, will operate as a Community run non profit with the support of donations, grants and memberships. The building and site can remain in the hands of the city or be turned over to the PCCL. Prior to this being approved, the building and arena will need to be restored to a usable state to hold everything from lectures, theater and larger sporting/entertainment events in support of the communities it serves. The installation of a sound proof insulation once the asbestos is removed would be a smart way to go.

The arena will also act as an interpretive centre, displaying its history as a host of sport and entertainment, the ongoing contribution the arena will make as an integral part of Edmonton😀. The arena will also act as a rest and staging area for the Medical & Travel Centre. Further, in case of emergency, the Coliseum can hold up to 21,000 plus people comfortably, including standing room. The Coliseum is one of the safest and strongest buildings ever constructed in Edmonton.

Medical Centre

Given the cone shape of the arena’s concrete stands, there is a huge amount of space to house a fully functional Medical Centre. The Medical Centre will be a key component to providing easily accessible health care, handling safe injections, and drug intervention with counseling. There will be beds, showers, lockers and a kitchen with a lunch program for students, the displaced, services to match the needs of our youth, those with special needs, the handicapped and our seniors. A Women’s Shelter and Men’s Hospice, A Gender Neutral and Safe Place for the LGBTPQ2S+ community. An Employment counseling office will be offered for those who need it.. All this will house both chiropractic, physiotherapy, and an operational place for Caregivers.
There will be a multicultural meeting place that can have access to the arena for larger events.

For Our First Responders, there will be an Integrated Advanced Training Centre for Security, Policing with the new addition of Crisis Councilors, Sheriffs, Firefighters, EMS, and The RCMP.

This will be a working theater of operations serving the dual purpose of presence and security for the whole site, with routine patrols making this one of the most “Safest Places To Be.”

Travel Centre

The Travel Centre will operate right out of a number of entrances. The City will want to take full advantage as being the Coliseum is in the round, making it perfect to act as a travel hub for LRT and ETS. If the City wants to make improvements or upgrades to the Coliseum Station, which should be in conjunction with VIA Rail as the destination for both light and commercial rail systems. Included should be a biodiesel fill station for VIA Rail and heavy trucks with big rig parking and wash. The old concessions can double as fast food points of sale. There is over a million dollars per year we can apply for in support of tourism yearly as we have done through Randy Boissonault for Fort Edmonton Park, Valley Zoo, and The Muttart Conservatory. He too, is awaiting this third draft of my master development plan. ETS will share another access where a Covered terminal will attract Bus Tour companies in establishing their ticket offices and taxi cab access with EV charging stations. There will be park and ride which will be free to those visiting the Centre. Passes for transit, travel, and events can all be generated digitally though our online platform saving both vendor and purchaser a fair bit of money making everything more reasonable and affordable. This platform is compatible with other systems and offers all the latest forms of payment. Signage will be offered where there is less light, not conducive to solar panel installation on the sides and roof of the building.

Covered Soccer Field

Edmontonians has longed for a year round Soccer Facility. This project will be donated by the daughter of one of Edmontons’ prominent soccer players, after whom it will be named.

Alberta Tennis Training Centre

Alberta Tennis will build, manage, run, and maintain a Covered all round training centre with eight tennis courts all that can double for pickle ball, volleyball, and badminton. Semi final and final events held in the Edmonton Coliseum Arena will attract an international, global audience. Alberta is one of the only provinces that does not have a Tennis Training Centre. Some provinces have two.

Reach Basketball Court

REACH Edmonton can provide along with the above a badly needed year round Community Basketball Court.

Draft five will include those contacted who are very interested in the project and those who have expressed a willingness to support and have already made contributions to the success of the project. This includes savings on power and gas, lighting, the addition of solar panels that can contribute to the grid rather than taking from it, benefiting the whole site and neighboring communities.

Resort Hotel & Affordable Housing

Given the amount of traffic and attraction to the amenities the centers are going to generate, A Resort Hotel will accommodate visitors to our fine city. It will have vital shops that cater to our guests, such as a spa and salon, specialty coffee house, pool, and gym. There are 63 restaurants, bars, and grill operations that are all in the area of the Coliseum. They will all reap the benefits this project will bring in both business and employment. The addition of an Affordable Housing component will meet the needs of people looking to become more active and contribute to their communities. The Resort Hotel will manage the affordable housing component of suites that will include a kitchenette, serving and food service bar, one or two double bed options, and full bath. Shared Laundry on each floor. These suites can be rented with the options of room and board or rent to own for those employed and working on site or in the city. Special rates will also be offered to students, seniors, the handicapped and those with special needs. A percentage based on the supports being received, leaving more than enough for food, prescriptions, and recreation.

We plan to take full advantage of the most resent grant incentive for indigenous and affordable housing, just announced last week. This announcement by the Federal Government Minister, amounts to four billion dollars, to aid in the building of 100,000 homes. It would be criminal not to get our foot in the door on this one.

Educational Complex Centre

There has been for many years a huge demand for more schools to meet with the ever increasing population of our city and surrounding communities. The accessibility this site provides is unmatched. Therefore, A Complete Innovation Educational Complex is warranted. This will feature special needs and handicapped access indicative of all the buildings on site. A seven – to eight story structure will match the height of the resort and affordable housing apartments.

The main level will house a twenty-four hour non-profit daycare with a preschool or kindergarten. Teacher and support staff facilities will be on the second level. The third to the eighth will be classrooms shared by both Catholic and Public schools. Grades one to twelve. Alternatively the facility can be utilized by our Universities, Colleges and Technical Institutions. Trust this provides plenty of food for thought, indeed an aggressively progressive project that will conservatively save Edmontonians the five percent proper tax increase, costs of preparing the exhibition lands for sale for a conservative total of 103 million dollars. This savings will have council looking like hero’s at a time when home owners are struggling with high mortgages and expenses. It would be smart to keep people in their homes, rather than putting them out on the street, adding to the very problem we wish to resolve.

Thank you for considering My Master Development Plan, I ask for your support, there will be no cost to Edmontonians for my work and time invested. I do this for the love of my city.

Respectfully Yours,

Gregory Reimer.