ATHABASCA – Athabasca County will be laying the groundwork for the upcoming Athabasca riverfront pavilion with an in-kind donation to the local Rotarians.
During the July 26 regular council meeting, councillors voted unanimously to provide the Rotary Club of Athabasca with 25 yards of three-quarter-inch gravel, as well as a day’s labour for the club’s latest project, a timber shade pavilion just west of the splash park.
“It’s a great project that’s happening down at the riverfront, and an in-kind request is always the way to go,” said Reeve Tracy Holland.
The donation, which carries a value of $750, will go towards the pavilion’s base layer and will allow the club to go ahead with pouring concrete. The project is expected to cost around $275,000, with the club having $255,000 secured for construction, according to documents supplied to Athabasca County.
The town of Athabasca has also contributed to the project, lending a hydro-vac truck and other equipment to help ensure the club doesn’t strike an electrical wire when it comes time to drill the screw-holes that will support the structure.
“It’s huge to have the support of the town and the county on this. It’s been absolutely huge, I don’t know how else to put it,” said Brian Scott, who has led the project from Rotary’s side.
Scott said the project wouldn’t have been possible without the support of a variety of local businesses that have helped with fencing, construction, and labour, and he hopes the finished product will help address a major community need.
“When parents take their kids down to the playground or the spray park, there’s absolutely nowhere for them to sit in the shade,” said Scott.
“If it’s a 35-degree day those kids are going to burn silly in half an hour. We were down there talking with some of the moms about a shade structure and the overwhelming consensus was yes, yes, yes, and build it as high as you can.”
The total structure will be 24 feet wide and 36 feet long, with solar panels on the roof to help alleviate some of the town’s electricity bills. Rotary hired an Edmonton-based company that specializes in mortise and tenon timber frames, a construction style that connects two pieces of wood without screws.
Rotary is hoping the project will be complete by the end of September — the labour-intensive construction style means Scott didn’t have a concrete deadline — and if all goes according to plan, the pavilion will be ready to go by next summer.
“You’ll be able to have birthday parties down there. It’s a pretty big size, so it’ll be good to keep everybody out of the weather,” said Scott.
