Wednesday marks the beginning of construction for Martensville’s new Community Recreation Centre.

A groundbreaking, or sod turning, ceremony took place to mark the beginning of the facility’s construction. Martensville Mayor Kent Muench says the project has been in the works for 10 years, and the community members have worked extremely hard raising funds, holding events and programs, and writing letters in order to make it happen.

The recreation centre will house a full-size arena, a full-size turf facility, an indoor playground, wall climbing, a cultural room, and the space to accommodate the City’s future plans to implement two additional ice sheets.

The facility has an estimated cost of $44.5 million and is being covered by the federal and provincial governments, as well as the City of Martensville and the Martensville Community Recreation Project.

The center will benefit the community by providing an estimated 140 new jobs and 70 during on-site construction, providing space for families to play the sports they enjoy closer to home, and help Martensville attract major sporting events. The ice arena is expected to be complete by winter of 2024, and the turf portion of the facility only a few months behind it.