A community project that will benefit families living in and around Boyle made a request to Athabasca County for some financial help. The Greater Athabasca Community Foundation (GACF) asked council at their Mar.
A community project that will benefit families living in and around Boyle made a request to Athabasca County for some financial help.
The Greater Athabasca Community Foundation (GACF) asked council at their Mar. 26 meeting to contribute $50,000 from their 2016 budget to the four-year, four part revitalization project.
The project will start with a play and spray park, followed by a skate park and outdoor arena.
“I've seen what this has done for this community and I want to see it for them, ” said councillor Kevin Haines, referring to the community's positive response for the Athabasca spray park.
Councillor Warren Griffin said the project would bring economic retention to Boyle, if families were offered a reason to stay in the community.
Reeve Doris Splane agreed, stating many of the young moms and dads of Boyle are local kids who returned to their hometown to raise their own families.
Council considered the request, but would need to consult with the county's financial manger before making a decision.
The project would not fall under recreation funding because it would be over the $5,000 limit and would be built in Boyle.
Construction of spray and play parks without washroom facilities would total $1 million and another $5,000 in water charges each season to run the spray park, said GACF representative Lindsey Stanton.
The estimated water use per day would be equivalent to what two 1,500 square foot homes would use.
The play park will include areas specifically designed for infants up to teens, a fitness station for seniors and swings for people with special needs.
In two years, the group will look at constructing an outdoor arena and a new skate park using repurposed materials from the original skate park.
The outdoor arena would use synthetic ice, built in pieces that are easily and inexpensively replaced if damaged.
The GACF has collaborated with the Village of Boyle regarding possible locations and have settled on three potential sites, each with their own problems.
The GACF's preferred choice is located west of the arena toward the Boyle Co-op's home centre and near the ballpark. It would offer prebuilt washrooms and parking, but is situated on private land meaning costs of the project would increase significantly.
A second option is placing the project on village-owned land behind the ballpark which would be given to the GACF. However, that would mean a parking lot and washrooms would need to be built. Another concern, cited by Stanton, for that location is the noise generated might affect residents living in the nearby apartment building.
The third option - and least preferred - would adjoin the park to the new Boyle Municipal Centre and library.
That location would be even more expensive and require a tremendous amount of work and Stanton worries that the highway could pose as a potential danger for children.
