The Town of Sylvan Lake and the Sylvan Lake Gulls officially broke ground on Pogadl Park and the Gulls Stadium, Tuesday.
With the groundbreaking, work will begin in earnest to get the stadium and the baseball quad ready so teams will be able to play there beginning next summer.
Work on the stadium has already begun, and turf is expected to be on the site by the end of the month.
Sylvan Lake Mayor Sean McIntyre says this new park, and the agreement with the baseball team, will be a boon for the community and its residents.
“This project will address the short and long term needs of our community… With the economy the way it is, a project like this will also help put people to work,” said Mayor McIntyre.
What is more exciting, and encouraging, for McIntyre is the private investment being made in the park by the Gulls.
By partnering with the new baseball team, Pogadl Park has changed from a field to a full stadium, thanks to private investment.
“It is really encouraging to see the amount of private investment being brought in on this project. It shows that not only are we confident in our town, but they are also confident in our community, despite the hardships,” McIntyre said.
The new sports park and the baseball stadium will help put Sylvan Lake on the map, and will become another draw for the community.
McIntyre says a Western Canadian Baseball Team will help to draw visitors from across Western Canada to Sylvan Lake and central Alberta.
Not only will the stadium draw in crowds of fans and spectators but the teams themselves will be coming and staying in Sylvan Lake.
“And the players on these teams are Major League hopefuls who are coming from across North America to our town, that’s amazing.”
McIntyre continued calling the partnership a “real winning combination.”
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Phase one of Pogadl Park will include building core infrastructure, such as water lines and roadways, as well as the completion of the baseball quad.
Pogadl Park is a multi-phase construction that will be completed over time as the budget is available, according to McIntyre.
“There are many more elements to add to this complex… We will complete the next phases as time and money for the project is available,” he said.
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