Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/423872
Century Downs Racetrack and Casino by Robin Brunet courtesy century casinos, inc. L ocated just 24-kilometres north of downtown Calgary, Balzac is known mainly for CrossIron Mills shop- ping centre and a Walmart distribution centre. But by 2015, it will be synony- mous with the Sport of Kings. That's because Balzac is the new home of the Century Downs Racetrack and Casino, currently in the mid-stages of construction. The $25-million facil- ity will be the only horse racetrack in the Calgary area and will include a 5.5-furlong (1.1-kilometre) track for standardbred and thoroughbred racing. T h e c a s i n o's 3 0 , 0 0 0 - s q u a r e - foot gaming f loor will have 550 slot machines, a bar and lounge, restaurant and an off-track bet ting area. Stan- dardbred racing is expected to com- mence by April 2015 and thoroughbred racing will be up and running by 2016. Andreas Terler, VP of operations for Century Casinos, Inc. says, "Cen- tury Downs is a development driven by Century Casinos, Inc., which will have a majority stake in the project with United Horsemen of Alberta Inc., once it's open at the end of Q1 2015." Terler adds that the $25-million construc- tion budget is in addition to $50 million already spent on development of the land and infrastructure. Derek Sampson, partner with BR2 Architecture, says if he had to choose one factor to define the development process, it would be time – or lack of: "This project is coming together incred- ibly quickly. We first got involved only a year ago, and the pace is such that we've had to co-ordinate closely with the builders and sequence design and con- struction so that not a day was wasted." BR2 Architecture was retained to design the casino and Chandos Con- struction Ltd. was selected as its general contractor, having delivered the Century Casino Edmonton, another develop- ment by Century Casinos, on time and on budget in 2006. "We enjoyed a great collaboration with Chandos on that venue, so despite the tight timelines on this project we were confident about delivering a high-quality facility – which was Century Casinos' main objective," says Sampson. Florida-based Charles E. Coon and Sons, renowned as a specialist in track design, was signed as track consultant, and Kellam Berg Engineering & Surveys Ltd. was engaged as the managing con- sultant and site construction manager, providing engineering, planning and legal survey services. Although the actual development of Century Downs came together quickly, the project has a lengthy history. Ron Kellam points out that "we've been involved for the last 10 years, predating just about everyone except Max Gibb, who was one of the founders of United Horsemen of Alberta." Kellam notes that a 5.5-furlong track "is the only one of this length in Canada, accommodating the one-mile distance covered by standardbred horses in addition to 3.5-, 5.5-, 6-, 6.5-, 7-, 7.5-, 8.5- and 9-furlong distances for thorough- breds and various distances for quarter horses. Originally, the plan was for a much bigger development, but United Horsemen of Alberta decided to right- size the racetrack and the buildings to reflect modern day realities." Century Downs sits on land that is a zero stormwater discharge site, so Kellam Berg designed stormwater ponds to store and reuse rainwater for irrigation of the track. To maximize effi- ciencies it optimized the reuse of utility infrastructure installed for the original racetrack configuration. Whissell Contracting Ltd. provided the rough grading for the site and removal of excess material, the con- struction of a retaining wall on the west side of the site and the underground utilities for the storm sewer, sanitary sewer and water mains. Standard General Construction was charged with track construction, paving, curbs gut- ters and sidewalks. As for Charles E. Coon and Sons, "[the company] provided input into the correct selection of the granular track surface material, as well as reviewed the modified track configuration," says Kellam, adding that the design provided by Kellam's firm remained unchanged. From the outset, it was determined that the casino portion of Century Downs would be constructed of prefab- ricated concrete panels. "That way the walls would go up in a few weeks rather than a few months," says Sampson. "The quicker we could get the building enclosed, the faster Chandos could work on the interior." BR2 developed a subtle western ambiance with detailing and finishes such as wood grain floor tiles, accent ceilings and wood grain laminate inte- rior panels at the bar. To ensure the exte- rior would have maximum visual appeal, the prefab panels have plenty of details and relief. "They'll also be painted and have graphics applied towards the end of construction," says Sampson. Following the release of the strip- ping and grading permit in March of 2014, heavy machinery arrived on site to begin the earthwork. Piling and foun- dation work for the casino followed in April, with an expected year-end 2014 completion. "Chandos was amazing to work with," says Sampson. "For such a fast-track project, everything pro- ceeded smoothly and all issues were dealt with efficiently." Kellam has equally high praise for Chandos, and he credits Alcon Elec- tric "for providing the site electrical secondary distribution while Primary Eng ineer ing worked w it h For t is Alberta to provide the main telecom and electrical feeds." For Kellam's part, he's grateful to have helped create a unique Canadian racetrack. "We're proud that we were able to design such a track that meets the needs of the United Horsemen of Alberta and the horse racing industry," he says. n Location Balzac, Alberta owner/deveLoper Century Casinos, Inc. / United Horsemen of Alberta Inc. architect (casino) BR2 Architecture racetrack design/Managing consuLtant/site construction Manager Kellam Berg Engineering & Surveys Ltd. in association with Charles E. Coon and Sons (racetrack design) generaL contractor (casino) Chandos Construction Ltd. structuraL consuLtant Williams Engineering Canada MechanicaL consuLtant Remedy Engineering eLectricaL consuLtant Designcore Landscape architects Carson • McCulloch Associates totaL size (casino) 30,000 square feet totaL cost $25 million december 2014 /75 century downs racetrack and casino