Tom Henihan
Express Staff
MLA for Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley and Minister of Energy, Marg McCuaig-Boyd visited McLennan on September 13 to present a Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) cheque for $56,933 to McLennan Recreation Board.
The grant is for the building of a multi-sport facility on the site of the old tennis courts located on the west side of the H.W. Fish Arena.
When applying for the grant, the McLennan Recreation Board received letters of support from the Town of McLennan and from the M.D. of Smoky River No. 130, with the Town of McLennan also contributed $15,000 to the project.
The original specifications for Multi-Sportplex, which is designed for playing a variety of sports including basketball, hockey/futsal, volleyball, pickleball, tennis and badminton, has been increased from 50ft by 100ft and the facility will now be marginally bigger than initially planned.
“Our original proposed project was to have one basketball net and the court but we decided if we are putting this much money into it we would put in a second net and get both ends surfaced, even if we have to do more fundraising to come up with the money by next May,” says McLennan Recreation Board president, Marie Anne Jones.
Another modification to the original design is the possibility of going with a different lighting system than first planned.
“The lighting we thought we would go with electric, but I have now been checking into solar lighting as an option instead,” says Jones.
In the wintertime, the surface can be shoveled off for road hockey.
“A lot of kids play hockey on the road but if the sportsplex surface is kept clean they could play in there. And if we have the night lights there it will be good for them,” says Jones.
The facility is designed to be low maintenance with a lifetime warranty on the surface tiles.
Ruel Brothers Contracting in Peace River will do the preparation work, install the concrete base for the tile. Work should begin in April or May next year and completed in summer or early fall 2019.
To receive the cheque from Marg McCuaig-Boyd were members of the McLennan Recreation Board, Sharlene Lambert, Maggie Gervais, and Sue Deslauriers.
