The province will cover nearly half the tab of a new sports field in Rose Valley.
Westside-Kelowna MLA Ben Stewart announced that the province will contribute $400,000 towards the creation of Westlake Community Park Sports Field. The total cost of the field is $908,000.
The money is one of several community recreation grants that the province has announced this week. A total of $30 million in grants will be given province-wide through the program.
The sports field will lie adjacent to a proposed elementary school, which is tentatively set to open in September of 2014 with 400 students.
West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater and School District 23 Chair Rolli Cacchioni were also on hand for Tuesday morning’s announcement.
Findlater said that the idea for this sports field goes back two years to the start of the DWK’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
“Council learned through that process through the community and the user groups, we need more playing field space. That has been a recurring theme all the way through—we need more places for football, soccer and other outdoor games,” said Findlater.
The field is “shovel ready”; therefore, construction on the project is set to begin this summer with the hope that it will be put to use in the spring of 2013.
“The end result will be a full size sports field plus room for end zones and side zones.”
Findlater said that the field will also be a gathering place for Rose Valley residents.
The mayor thanked Stewart for his work in getting funding for the park.
“This project is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the dedication that Ben has displayed in the legislature, working hard on our behalf.
“What we’re doing on this site will be more than a soccer pitch and some goal posts. It’s a legacy infrastructure project, something that will benefit this community for decades to come, it fills a gap, it meets a need, it will shine as an example when the government and community work together.”
wpaterson@kelownacapnews.com
