The Penhold & District Optimist Club has asked town council to match the amount they raise to build a skatepark.
Brenda Mahoney, chair of the club’s skatepark committee, made the request at a Feb. 12 council meeting.
The club has raised about $50,000 of the $650,000 price tag. The town is providing a piece of land, valued at $50,000, where the skatepark will be built. It’s located across from Penhold Crossing Secondary School.
Penhold Mayor Mike Yargeau said council will discuss the club’s request at a meeting on March 5.
He commended the efforts of the group, which has raised about $36,000 since 2016.
“They did ask for quite a lot of money, being a small town it maybe more than we could reasonably give, so we might have to look at the amount they asked for,” he said.
Yargeau said council would also like to see where the community stands on the project.
“We also have to take the pulse of the community and see if this is something they want the town to actively invest in,” he said.
After receiving money from the town, the club wants to apply for a matching grant from the province’s Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) so it can start construction in the of spring 2019.
Mahoney said Penhold teenagers need a skatepark.
The committee hopes to raise another $50,000 for the project by the end of the summer, said Mahoney.
“If I can go further than the $50,000 — I would like to raise $100,000 more this year (bringing the club to $150,000) but that will be with donations and whatever we can get with grants and bursaries,” she said.
mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com
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