INNISFAIL - The ground will finally be broken next week to mark the start of construction of the highly anticipated million-dollar skatepark project at the intersection of 42nd Street and 51st Avenue.
Construction of the facility will begin with local taxpayers on the hook for most of the million-dollar cost, at least until the province makes a decision, likely after the provincial budget is brought down in the fall, on whether to approve a small stream provincial Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) grant application that could bring in up to $125,000 to help the community deal with the overall price tag.
Last October, the Innisfail Kinsmen and Kinette Club of Innisfail, the approved fundraisers for the project, applied for a large stream CFEP matching grant of $476,000 but that was denied in March. The two service clubs have also contributed about $60,000, monies collected from fundraising and donations.
For now, the cost of the million-dollar project has already been accounted for in the 2019 municipal budget, with the funds coming from the town's reserve account, which now stands at $11,741,354. That figure is down from about $14 million the year before.
Last year town council approved a budget of just over $1 million for the new skatepark, which included a $94,000 cost to relocate the horseshoe pits from their current location to another area in Rotary Park.
"We are committed. I see they have already started tearing out the horseshoe pitches to get it ready for the crew that is coming in," said Mayor Jim Romane of the town's longstanding insistence to not only have the facility built but to have one that is of high quality, even if the cost is high. "We have a pretty good shot at the smaller grant. It is not as much as we had hoped for."
Even if the town is successful in obtaining the maximum $125,000 CFEP grant, combined with an additional $60,000 in donations, it would still leave taxpayers on the hook with an expenditure of about $800,000, an amount Romane is ready to defend.
"We've been putting money aside for it the last couple of years," said Romane. "We also had some good news on some of the contracts that were tendered out this year that came in under budget. I think when all is said and done I don't think we are going to be dipping into reserves any more than we planned on."
Romane added the project is vitally important for local youth who were not interested or able to participate in expensive organized sports. He noted that he was "surprised" to learn that many parents are now taking their children to skateparks in other municipalities.
"It's become a public thing. The whole image of skateboarding has changed a lot in the last couple of years," he said, adding he's aware there is concern with many in town there is not enough quality recreational opportunities for local youth to pursue. "Our next step is to find something for them (youth) to do in the wintertime. We have got to look at facilities to keep them busy."
In the meantime, Calgary's New Line Skateparks, the contractor for the town's new recreational facility, is ready to begin construction and have it ready for skateboarders by late fall, said Rod Fraser, the town's director of operational services.
"What they (New Line) do as a contractor is plan out their year. They told us last November that it would probably be at this time," said Fraser. "Throw in a week or two for rain delays and that equates to the mid-July timeline."
Along with the actual skatepark facility and surrounding new landscaping features a donor wall will also be constructed, said Fraser.
"If we have some local businesses with a flavour to donate back to the community we have that donor wall as well for donations," said Fraser.
