A skatepark project is still in the plans for Summerland, but a significant amount of money must still be raised before this project can become a reality.
The project is expected to cost $594,200, but so far less than one-quarter of that amount has come in.
The Penny Lane Society has donated $135,000 for this project.
Erick Thompson, chair of the committee, said the municipality had earlier applied for a $300,000 Canada 150 grant to assist with the costs, but this grant was not approved.
“We’re not giving up,” he said. “We’re still working to open that park as soon as we can.”
The park is proposed for a portion of school property at the corner of Rosedale Avenue and Jubilee Road.
The proposed park has been embraced by municipal officials.
“The new skate park will be a central feature for Summerland, attracting new visitors to the downtown core and enhancing the attractiveness of our community,” Mayor Peter Waterman said earlier.
The new park will replace an older skatepark near the Harold Simpson Memorial Youth Centre. The older park was built in the mid-1990s and is showing its age. Thompson said there are some concerns about the surface of that park.
“For the day, it was a really good park,” he added.
The committee has been working to have the new park ready some time this year — a daunting goal considering the amount of money still to be raised.
“It will be a challenge to build this park for 2017,” Thompson said, “but we’re very hopeful that we can make it happen.”
In addition to the fundraising efforts, Thompson and other committee members are continuing to look for grant funding opportunities. They also hope large donors will come on board to support the project.
“It will be very helpful to the youth and young families,” he said.