A provincial grant application for recreational upgrades to Riverside Park was submitted on January 14, after council slashed the idea for a skateboard park, in favor of leveling out an area of the land to use as a multi-use field.
Council continued to discuss the ‘Towns for Tomorrow’ program during a regular council meeting on January 12, which accepts grant applications for town projects of $500,000, of which the province will pay for 80 per cent.
Mayor Gerry Thiessen said he received around 70 e-mails from the public about the grant, most of which supported the idea of a multi-use field at the park.
“This is the great thing about democracy in Vanderhoof - people got involved in this discussion...I believe only one of them had aprehensions about it...all the rest were in favor.” he said.
Council members all agreed that they had heard nothing from any skateboarders advocating for a skateboard park, and although it would be cut out of the grant application, it wouldn’t be ruled out for the future.
The final application included a mobile stage and lighting system (estimated to cost $182,000), a multi-purpose sportsfield (est. ($193,500), outdoor exercise equipment (est. $25,500, and washroom facilities (est. $72,000).
Thiessen hopes council will hear back about the success of the application in a month’s time.
If accepted, work on the project is expected to begin in the spring, with forecasted completion by the end of the summer.