The village of Burns Lake residents will soon be able to enjoy a beach volleyball court as well as an outdoor skating rink.

In a May 25 council meeting, the staff proposed the building a beach volleyball court and purchasing seasonal outdoor rink equipment for Spirit Square in order to offer the residents and visitors year-long activities.

The village had earlier applied for a Canada Healthy Communities Initiative grant for the beach volleyball court and the outdoor skating rink equipment however, the village wasn’t successful in securing this grant.

“Funding for this will be from the Covid-19 restart grant for municipalities. We are using it to enhance our outdoor spaces, as more safe alternatives during pandemic,” said Sheryl Worthing, the chief administrative officer for the village.

The volleyball court, which would be approximately 30′ by 60′, would be in the form of a pre-made arena kit. The skating rink would also be collapsible and could be assemble and disassembled seasonally.

Construction for the volleyball court will begin this summer and depending on availability of equipment, the timing could vary from early summer to later on, said Worthing.

The idea for an outdoor skating rink was first proposed in 2015 and was revisited in 2017. However, at both times, the project was shelved citing higher costs compared to benefits.

This year however, the council voted to put the skating rink in place after a lot of discussion. While the decision to have the rink wasn’t unanimous, the idea to have the outdoor rink was thought as charming and a welcome addition to the village’s outdoor activities.

Last year, the village added the Splash Park to the Radley Beach Park as a way to enhance the existing space as well as providing something different and fun for the families of Burns Lake.

“These provide additional facilities for public use within the village boundaries. They will both be available without admission cost to the users,” said Worthing.

The outdoor skating rink will be set up in the late fall and will be available until the spring. The village staff is also looking at pricing to build some stock of rental skates for Fall 2021.

Priyanka Ketkar
Multimedia journalist
@PriyankaKetkar

priyanka.ketkar@ldnews.net

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