Despite their requests for funding from the federal government being turned down four times, the City of Warman is going ahead with their Communiplex expansion project.

Warman Mayor Gary Philipchuk says in 2019, the City began applying for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. After what he calls a frustrating process, the City has decided to take matters into their own hands to make it happen.

“We really were at a fork in the road and made a decision to say, ‘what would it take to have this built on our own?” Philipchuck stated.

When the project was first organized in 2019, its estimated cost was only $8 million, but due to inflation, the projected price tag read $14.7 million. Philipchuk says luckily, Quorex Construction will be completing the project for just under $13 million. It will be built on to the north side of the existing Warman Home Centre Communiplex, and complete by summer or fall of 2025.

To help pay for the nearly $13 million expansion, residents of Warman will be dealt a $75 Recreation Capital Levy in 2024, growing to a $150 levy in 2025.

In return, the community is getting an additional arena, 6 changerooms, and a second-floor lounge, all to be complete by summer of 2025. It will be built on to the north side of the existing Warman Home Centre Communiplex, and Philipchuk says this will finally allow for Warman’s hockey teams to play home games at home.

“We are looking at fundraising now. We’re looking at opportunities to say let’s make this the best facility it can be.”

Philipchuk says the next recreational project Warman will take on will probably be a swimming pool. “That one we will look for regional partners to be a part of, and school divisions and all of that. We realize that’s a much bigger one, but if we can work together, hopefully we can move towards a facility in that direction too.”