Just in time for its peak season of school’s out summer holidays, the Grand Trunk Fitness and Leisure Centre re-opened in May, much to the delight of its legions of loyal users. The centre, at 13025 112th Street, was closed for a year for $5.4 million in renovations and upgrades.

A splashy grand re-opening revealed the place is all buffed-up from its own workout.

The renos have improved the facility’s energy efficiency, and extended its lifespan by 40 to 50 years, says Natalie Szekely, facility manager with Edmonton Community Services. “The community is delighted that we’re open again, and we’re delighted, too.”

Most of the improvements are below the skin, and not ones that patrons will readily see. But they’re essential for the smooth long-term operation of the facility.

The retrofit team yanked off the entire roof and installed a metal topping on the upper arcade and an asphalt covering on the lower arcade. They rehabilitated the building envelope walls, and installed new windows in the pool and fitness centre.

A new mechanical room was built on the side of the building, the heartbeat of a new boiler system and heating and ventilation system (HVAC) in the aquatic area. The steam room was reconfigured for safety, a new emergency power generator installed, and energy-efficient lighting mounted throughout.

Szekely says visitors will notice the steam room on the pool deck, fresh gray and brown paint, and breathe easier thanks to improved air quality. “The mechanical system changes have increased the rate of air turnover on the deck area.”

"Grand Trunk is just like home," says Jim Acton, President of Edmonton Area Council One. "It's wonderful to have a place where friends and family can come together and have fun. Our families have grown up here, and the facility has grown and changed over the years like the community has."

It’s a long and enviable record of service. The publicly-owned centre began serving the community in 1972 as an arena, and the swimming pool opened in 1975, with its distinctive triple-cubicled roof. The fitness centre was added in 1990, moving Grand Trunk into the forefront as a recreation, fitness and leisure destination for residents of northwest Edmonton.

Now, reopening the doors to Grand Trunk is reopening the doors to renewed health and wellness and enhanced quality of life for the community. The centre is a beloved gathering place, with more than 200,000 visits per year.

Patrons come to enjoy the 25-metre swimming pool, whirlpool, steam room, and waterslides. They get great use out of the fitness centre, meeting rooms, and indoor ice arena.

Outside there are tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball diamonds and sports fields. Programming includes swimming lessons, drop-in swims and workouts, aqua fitness classes, children’s camps, public skating and hockey.

Add it all up and it equals one of the best places to play in northwest Edmonton. Grand Trunk takes it place proudly as one of the city’s 13 recreation and leisure centres – a network that ranks as the best of any city in the country.

The municipally owned and operated centres owe their existence to the audacious foresight city planners and leaders displayed during the days of challenging growth in the 1960s and ‘70s. The centres have built loyal followings by listening to their customers and changing with the times.

The legacy is a recreation system that offers programs attuned to the needs of specific communities, like seniors' aquasize in older neighbourhoods and swims for tots in newer suburbs. The “new-and-improved” centres feature amenities like whirlpools, steam rooms, saunas and weight rooms – because that's what customers want.

They include the spectacular Peter Hemingway Fitness and Leisure Centre, with its 50- metre pool framed by expanses of glass and the intimate Eastglen Leisure Centre, with its salt water pool. Now visitors can make a splashdown from giant slides at Grand Trunk, Jasper Place, Londonderry, Mill Woods and O’Leary. They can ride the waves at Mill Woods Recreation Centre, and get into a fun racquet at Commonwealth, Kinsmen and Mill Woods.

Edmonton’s recreation and leisure centres are places of community building, meeting neighbours and making new friends. While other cities struggle to retain visitors, the Edmonton centres are thriving. In large part, it’s because of the understanding, from the highest levels of the municipal government, of the vital role they play in helping Edmontonians play and stay healthy.

The City of Edmonton’s 2010 Membership Plan offers a great fit for everyone, with three levels. “Zone Access” is a no-frills swim and fitness pass, the “Multiple Facilities Access” provides admission to all facilities and some drop-in programs, and the “Multiple Facilities Full Access” pass provides entry to the entire network of leisure centres.

Adult pricing ranges from $5.40 per visit when purchased 10 visits at a time and $333 a year. More info on pricing is at www.edmonton.ca. Just search under “recreation membership.”