Upgrades to the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant will force the removal of a 50-year-old bike track and the much-loved Safety City.

According to a memo delivered to the mayor and Calgary city councillors on Jan. 20, a new treated water storage reservoir (clearwell), high-lift pump station and electrical building are needed “to support Calgary’s rapid population growth and our increasing water demands.”

The memo goes on to say that the Glenmore Athletic Park Velodrome will have to be removed for the storage reservoir, and Safety City won’t have its lease renewed to facilitate operation and construction and operation activities.

The velodrome lease will not be renewed past October 2026, and Safety City’s lease, which expires in April 2025, won’t be renewed, according to the memo.

The Glenmore pathway will also be relocated and there may be disruptions to the Glenmore Athletic Park due to upcoming construction.

“Administration is highly sensitive to the impact that this work will have on user groups in the area and are working diligently to find solutions that will minimize unnecessary impacts before they are required for this essential work,” the memo reads.

Erin Ruttan, president of the Calgary Bicycle Track League (CBTL), which operates at the Glenmore Velodrome, spoke about the loss at the public hearing for Calgary’s GamePLAN strategy. She said they offer more than 575 hours of summer programming to Calgarians.

“We’ve been making cycling accessible to youth, to women, to seniors, to athletes with disabilities and to folks of low socioeconomic status, and we’ve been doing so in partnership with the City of Calgary,” Ruttan said.

Ruttan said they’re not opposed to the GamePlan vision. They just want to make sure they’re included in the conversation beyond rinks, pools, and fields.

“We know we’re not the only niche sport out there that feels that way, and we really don’t want to be left behind when we’re considering infrastructure investments,” she said.

Legacy could be lost: Ruttan

Ruttan said that since 1992, the CBTL has helped develop 14 of Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic cyclists. They’ve brought home 10 of 22 Olympics and Paralympic medals in the sport of track cycling.

“Unlike some other sports with a larger volume, we don’t have other facilities to go to. So, when this one goes so does our sport, and with that goes all the institutional knowledge of the sport,” she said.

“We aren’t just going to be able to pick up in five years’ time and start producing Olympians again. It simply doesn’t work that way.”

The nearest velodrome track is 300 kilometres away, according to Ruttan. The Glenmore Velodrome is the longest operating velodrome in Canada, she said.

“So, track cyclists right now are on the brink of losing the only facility that we have for our sport.”

“If the city wants to maintain our sport legacy, we need to work towards making sport, or continue to work towards making sport accessible with our partners like CBTL to ensure that the big picture plans, when those are made, they’re inclusive of some of those with fewer voices.”

Coun. Kourtney Penner, whose Ward 11 covers the Glenmore location, said while a potential velodrome wouldn’t likely be in the same spot, there’s always the potential for collaboration and conversation about a new site.

“If the track community wants to kind of have a conversation with me about how to move through that process of the city, we’ll happily guide them through it and help that conversation and talk about what their needs are,” she said.

“If the bike community wants to rally and have a conversation with the city and start talking about opportunities and a new location, things like that, I know that rec team would be open to that.”

Safety City was contacted for comment on this story, however, LWC has not yet received a response.

Plant upgrades planned

According to the memo, the upgrades at the Glenmore Water Treatment Centre will increase redundancy in the treatment and distribution system. It will also increase treatment plant maintenance efficiency and lower long-term costs, the city said. It will also improve plant security and safety.

“The new infrastructure at the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant will support customers in the south and west areas of Calgary, as well as regional customers Chestermere, Strathmore and Tsuut’ina Nation,” the memo read.

The land is owned by the City of Calgary’s Water Services and was always been intended for the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant’s expansion. It had been used by groups under an MOU with Parks and Open Spaces and Recreation.

The memo does not indicate when the construction the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant expansion will take place.