Todd Watson, the president of the Bedford Minor Hockey Association, has 950 reasons to celebrate the opening of the Rocky Lake Dome in the Rocky Lake Commons in Bedford.

“We’ve had to cap our membership at 950 players for the past number of years because the region hasn’t had enough ice surfaces to service our needs,” Watson says.

Players have been spread out over available ice surfaces throughout the Metro area. Now, they’ll be playing in the heart of Metro, at the easily accessible Dome, centrally located off Highway 102 on the Damascus Road in Bedford.

“Our volunteer association has worked extremely hard to complete the Rocky Lake Dome,” Barry Mason, the chair of the Rocky Lake Commons, says. We are thrilled that we can offer the children of the Bedford District Minor Hockey Association ice time at our facility, as this was always our goal. We want to thank Todd and the BDMHA executive for working with us to finalize this arrangement.”

“I’ve been involved in minor hockey for the past 12 years, and we’ve spent years hearing that new facilities were going to be built, but it hadn’t happened,” Watson says. “My kids are at the end of their playing time but there are thousands of kids who will be able to use these facilities.”

The Dome is the first step in the volunteer Rocky Lake Commons board of directors’ plans. Phase One of the multi-stage project was purchasing 50 acres of land from the St. Paul’s Home two years ago. Erection of the Rocky Lake Dome was completed on time, and on budget. Ice rental has been signed with Bedford Minor Hockey, and rentals of the ice ill start November 1, 2009, on one ice surface.

As the $30 million project enters future phases, the volunteer directors are looking at the construction of Phase Two-soccer fields, a field house, basketball courts, and gym facilities. Andy Lynch, of Lydon Lynch, has designed a complex that will be the finest sports and recreation facility in the entire province of Nova Scotia.

“Our association is greatly indebted to the Province of Nova Scotia for its support of our project,” Mason says. “Now that we have completed Phase I of our development, our focus is to commence work on the soccer fields and gymnasium at the Rocky Lake Commons. With support from the federal, provincial and municipal governments and the community, we will make Phase II a reality.”

“Having this new arena is good not only for hockey but for all ice sports,” Watson says. “The whole complex is an asset for the Halifax Regional Municipality.”