Revelstoke’s skatepark project was dealt yet another blow to their extensive fundraising efforts for the $957,390 redevelopment.
The plan remains to begin construction at snowmelt this year, which will be a huge achievement after the Columbia Valley Skateboard Association (CVSA) who have fought for nearly a decade to make the redevelopment at Kovach Park a reality.
But with recent news that they were unsuccessful in their grant request for $181,839 through the B.C. Gaming Capital Grant, the plan may need scaling back.
Construction is slated for this spring.
The redevelopment has already been scaled down from an original concept that cost over $1 million. To do that the size was reduced from 20,000 square feet to 16,000. While this new concept isn’t the ideal plan it still manages to cover all the key elements adequately.
In 2017, the CVSA donated $90,551 in cash to the city for the project. The money was raised through many fundraisers and community donations.
The City of Revelstoke is contributing $125,000 to the project; the remainder of the funds have been raised by the CVSA through outside grants and fundraisers, including grants closely associated with the city, such as tourism infrastructure development funds and regional CSRD economic development funding.
With the current shortfall, it may need to be scaled back further, leaving out key elements and making the skatepark congested.
Now to cover the shortfall, the CVSA is asking for $100,000 from the Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation (RFC) Legacy Fund. The RFC pays the City of Revelstoke dividend payments. This money is dedicated to community legacy projects that don’t need much maintenance.
City councillors will discuss the request at the upcoming council meeting on Tuesday, January 23.
To get the remaining $81,839, the CVSA will have no other choice than to continue their local fundraising efforts.
Read CVSA’s treasurer Matt Rebelo’s letter to the city.
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