Langdonites will soon have a few more recreational amenities to be excited about, as construction of new outdoor pickle ball, basketball, and tennis courts is nearing completion.
Chrissy Craig, chair of the Langdon Community Association, said the project initially began in the winter of 2020, when plans first started coming together to make the courts a reality.
“We actually had a private donor sponsor the project,” she said. “This has been on our priority list, we just didn’t have any funding for it.”
The donor, Accurate Screen & Grating, put up $200,000 of the nearly $400,000 needed to finance the project. Once the initial funding was found, Craig said the community association went before Rocky View County council earlier this spring and received the remaining $190,000.
“The cost is because we are doing things right,” Craig said.
According to Craig, the installation will include two full tennis courts, a full-size basketball court, eight pickle ball courts on the tennis courts, and two miniature basketball courts on the tennis courts.
The courts will wrap around the ball diamonds on the south end of Langdon Park, according to Craig.
“This is using an [area] that was dead space,” she said. “It was just this grass field that nobody used for anything because it’s weirdly shaped. We shaped these new courts around this, so it makes the area useable.”
The project is set to be completed by the spring of 2022. Craig said while most of the work is already finished, the final portion – which is adding the courts' paint – will have to be completed once winter is over.
Craig said the demand for more recreational amenities has been apparent in the hamlet for some time.
“There is a huge need, because there is not a lot of outdoor sports options in Langdon,” she said. “There are only the baseball fields, a skate park, and playground.”
With Langdon’s population constantly growing and young families continuing to move there, Craig said abundant recreational amenities give residents of the hamlet more options when it comes to outdoor activities.
“Pickle ball is huge here,” she said. “There is also a huge need for drop-in play for youth around town.”
Since the opening of the new Iron Horse Fields baseball diamonds in Langdon earlier this year, it hasn’t taken the community association long to sink their teeth into another project – something Craig said is all due to the dedication and passion of the association’s volunteers.
“We have a good core group,” she said. “There are about 10 to 15 of us who take on these projects because we know they are important to the community.”
On top of the new courts, the community association is also working on installing a sport equipment lending library that will allow residents to rent basketballs, tennis balls, rackets, and whatever else is needed to enjoy the new amenities.
“I hope they just bring another sense of community, and a place to be active and engage together,” Craig said. “No matter what, people will be able to use the courts.”
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @jaystrickz
