About The Pointe
Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) awareness
The Pointe Agricultural Event Centre is closely monitoring the Equine Disease Communication Center in regards to the spread of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV).
At this time, there are no reported cases in Strathcona County.
We are taking proactive steps to maintain a safe environment, including consulting with local veterinarians and increasing biosecurity protocols throughout The Pointe with a focus on high-touch areas.
We also recommend facility users avoid tying in the arena and limiting direct contact between horses as a proactive measure.
About the Pointe
The need for a multi-purpose agricultural facility was referenced in several Strathcona County planning documents prior to 2012. In January 2015, the Strathcona County Multi-Purpose Agricultural Facility Feasibility Study was presented to Council. Following engagement with the community and interested parties, Council approved the regional facility concept in October 2016.
Site selection, design and budget
Land beside the Bremner Heritage House was selected as the site in March 2018. An intentional decision to have the facility designed to accommodate future expansion to best meet community needs was made, and the budget to construct the Multi-purpose Agricultural Facility was approved in 2019.
In 2020, Council approved a revised budget for scope, design, construction, rural site preparation and servicing, and in early 2021, the name Pointe-aux Pins Acres for the site was selected. This name is symbolic of the Pointe-aux pins Creek, a water feature on Strathcona County’s landscape. “The Pointe” was then selected as the name of the facility that is constructed on the Pointe-aux Pins Acres site.
An unstable and volatile market in September 2021 required a purposeful pause of the construction of the facility. Administration continued its operational, services and event strategy work, remaining in alignment with the strategic ties to the County’s Agriculture Master Plan and Recreation and Culture Strategy.
Construction
Shovels hit the ground in summer 2023 following Council’s approval of the revised facility design, scope and budget for The Pointe Agricultural Event Centre. The Pointe’s new design meets a wide variety of facility uses which include an arena space with concrete floor, barn (animal housing), an animal wash bay and an uncovered outdoor warm up arena with the capacity to host year-round, regional-sized events.
Construction fun facts
First concrete pour was on May 31, 2024 - in the arena alone, there was 1,079 cubic metres of cement poured.
To put that in perspective, a 1,000 sq ft home has about 30 cubic meters of cement for the foundation.
Roughly 145 cement trucks were used for a total weight of 5.33M lbs
The name - Pointe-aux-Pins Acres (The Pointe)
- The name Pointe-aux-Pins Acres anchors the new amenity in community heritage. The Pointe is a destination where people from across Strathcona County and the region can enjoy agricultural and community events.
- The County considers the history of our community and points of interest in the local area or region when considering new facility names.
- Pointe-aux-Pins Creek is a significant water feature on Strathcona County’s landscape. One of only a few place names in the County known to have a French origin, the name translates literally as “pointed at the pines.” The creek flows into the North Saskatchewan River from the southeast - from the higher elevations in Beaver Hills. In the late 1800s, Pointe-aux-Pins Creek was the last of four creek crossings for travellers making the twenty-one mile journey by land from Strathcona, at the north end of the Canadian and Edmonton railway line known as the “end of steel”, to Fort Saskatchewan.
The Pointe Visual Identity
- The logomark is designed to strike a balance between Strathcona County’s visual identity and the colours unique to The Pointe’s landscape.
- Flowing lines and green and yellow colour profiles were used to capture landscape elements of Pointe-aux-Pins Acres to highlight our agricultural heritage.
- The map pin symbol is inspired by the site name, Pointe-aux-Pins-Acres, anchoring the facility as a destination for agricultural and community events. The map pin further showcases the facility as the place to be!
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