Muskoka Lumber Community Center, Bracebridge

Recreation • Bracebridge • ON

The scope of civil works encompassed site grading and earthworks across the full development footprint, stormwater management design to handle runoff from over 113,000 sq ft of building area plus 330 parking stalls and access roads, and complete underground servicing—storm sewers, sanitary sewers, and watermain connections to the Town of Bracebridge's municipal systems. The site design also needed to accommodate an outdoor courtyard, playground, a 620-metre trail network, and provisions for a future second ice pad—all while maintaining constructability during the phased build-out of the facility.

the contractor completed the $4.5-million site enabling works contract prior to the contractor mobilizing for the building in spring 2022. EMC Group's civil design ensured the site was ready to receive this major build—graded, drained, and serviced to support both the immediate construction and the community's long-term growth.

Engineering a generational community facility from the ground up

Total facility area—arena, library, fieldhouse, auditorium, and support spaces under one roof

Greenfield site developed from donated farmland—grading, drainage, and full municipal servicing

Stormwater management and municipal servicing

Total project budget—the largest municipal capital investment in Bracebridge history

Visitors in the first year of operation—with recreation membership sales up 53%

A transformative investment in Muskoka's future

Developing a 20.8-acre site with over 113,000 sq ft of building coverage, 330 parking spaces, access drives, and extensive hardscaped areas required a comprehensive stormwater management approach. EMC Group designed the storm drainage system to manage the significant increase in impervious area while meeting the Town of Bracebridge's post-development runoff controls and water quality requirements.

Key elements of the civil engineering program included:

Planning a Community Recreation Project?

The site design was coordinated with the architect's architectural vision for a facility that emphasizes natural light, warm timber materials, and a strong connection to Bracebridge's natural landscape—requiring careful integration of outdoor courtyard grades, trail connections, and playground areas with the broader stormwater and servicing infrastructure.

The Muskoka Lumber Community Centre replaced both the 75-year-old Bracebridge Memorial Arena (built 1949) and the 111-year-old Carnegie-era Bracebridge Public Library, consolidating community recreation, culture, and learning under one accessible roof. Funded through a combination of over $16.8 million from the Province of Ontario's Strategic Priorities Infrastructure Fund, more than $4 million in community sponsorships and fundraising, and a significant municipal commitment from the Town of Bracebridge, the MLCC represents the largest capital investment in the town's history.

In its first year alone, the facility welcomed an estimated 180,000 visitors and hosted over 2,500 recreation programming opportunities. The Muskoka Lumber Arena saw nearly 900 hours of minor hockey and over 360 hours of figure skating, while the Community Fieldhouse logged over 1,900 hours of rentals and 643 summer campers. the Community Auditorium hosted nearly 750 hours of community events. The facility has become home to the Muskoka Bears Junior C Hockey Team and has even welcomed the Toronto Maple Leafs for community practices.

EMC Group is proud to have engineered the civil infrastructure beneath one of Muskoka's most celebrated new community facilities—demonstrating that the work done below grade is what makes everything above it possible.

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From arenas and aquatic centres to libraries and multi-use community hubs, EMC Group delivers the civil engineering expertise that transforms ambitious municipal visions into facilities that serve communities for generations.