The Town of Penhold has applied for funding under the Alberta Community Partnership program to help with the proposed multi-million-dollar regional outdoor recreation and wellness area.
The proposed recreational area, which will include various outdoor sporting and recreational facilities, including the proposed skateboard park, is a $3- million project adjacent to the Penhold Regional Multiplex.
“We completed the application and submitted it this week (end of January),” said Rick Binnendyk, chief administrative officer with the Town of Penhold.
The town is partnering with Red Deer County and the Chinook's Edge School Division for funding assistance from the province to help with the project.
“We asked them for a letter of partnership and they are going to work with us, but there's no financial commitments (from them) at this stage,” Binnendyk added.
The town will also be in search of private sector partners to develop the remaining portion of the 80 acres set aside for recreational use and currently the site of the regional multiplex building and Penhold Crossing Secondary School. This past year, extensive land work was done at the site for base preparation.
In preparation for the funding application, the town and its partners also identified a need for soccer pitches, a ball diamond, track and field areas, a dock on the pond for water activities, passive walking areas and an RV park.
For this project, the town is eligible for up to $350,000 from the province and is asking for the full amount, noted Binnendyk, adding the town will contribute $130,000 from the town's reserves towards the development of the area, with additional monies expected from development partners.
“We will try and do some minor work (on the project) this year,” he said. “Some seeding is going to be done on the field, and the ponds are already built. But it depends how much funding we have available to work with.”
The town hopes to hear back from the province later this spring regarding its funding application, and is expected to hold several meetings with confirmed and potential project partners.
They will continue soliciting for additional partnerships in the development of the area.
If all funding comes into place, the project could be completed by the end of 2017, Binnendyk concluded.
Rick Binnendyk
"We will try and do some minor work (on the project) this year. Some seeding is going to be done on the field, and the ponds are already built. But it depends how much funding we have available to work with."
