The Rotary Club of Athabasca has nearly completed its centennial walkway at the riverfront.
Rotary member Rob Balay said it should be completed by the end of the week.
Past president and member Glenn Martin said he proposed the walkway idea after buying a memorial brick in Montreal 10 years ago.
“It is modeled after a centennial brick walkway in Montreal for the Montreal Canadiens,” he said. “They have all these bricks on display outside the Bell Centre.”
The Rotary club decided it would be a neat centennial monument to create a walkway at the riverfront using bricks with local family names on them.
Athabasca celebrated its centennial in 2011.
The bricks are sold for $100, $200 and $300, according to Balay, and can be purchased by an individual, a family or a business. Martin said it took a long time to receive enough names for bricks so the Rotary could put an order through.
“We got the final shipment last fall, and it came a little late to install,” Martin said. “Although we have done a whole pile of advertising, people still don’t know about it.”
Martin said if anyone wishes to purchase a brick, they are still for sale.
The walkway has been designed to allow for future bricks to be added on.
People can contact Martin at 780-675-3810 to purchase a brick.
“About half of the cost for the brick was a donation,” Martin said. “That was put into a whole pile of charitable things we do in town.”
Balay added Rotary thought it was local money and only used it for local projects, giving the money back to the community.
Balay described the way the walkway would be laid out to draw the eye to the bricks with writing.
“Each brick that has a name on it will have five other bricks of a different colour around it, so it will stand out,” he said. “We will do the whole walkway that way.”
So far, 400 bricks have been sold.
Balay pointed out later in August the Rotary Club will install exercise equipment at the riverfront as well.
“There will be seven pieces,” he said. “Individuals can work out while they watch their children play in the spray park or in the playground.”
