One month after the City of Edmonton terminated its lease with the Edmonton Ski Club, both the city and province appear to be handing the facility a lifeline to allow Edmontonians to ski down its slopes this season afterall.
On Wednesday, a city spokesperson confirmed to Global News that the city has issued the club a short-term operating licence for use of the Gallagher Park site and also released $50,000 that council had previously earmarked to the club.
“This funding is intended to support the ski club with its proposed opening for the remainder of this ski season,” Carol Hurst said. “Confirmation on reopening remains with the ski club’s board of directors.
“The city continues to support the Edmonton Ski Club to get the facility open and operating this ski season.”
Not only did the city release funding, the province also approved grant funding, according to a spokesperson for Alberta Culture and Tourism.
“The Edmonton Ski Club has recently been approved for up to $600,000 in grant funding over the next three years, to assist with both capital and operating needs,” Beryl Cullum said in an email to Global News.
Global News has reached out to the Edmonton Ski Club for comment on the developments.
In November, a note on the door of the ski club indicated the city was terminating its lease and that part of the clubhouse had been condemned.
READ MORE: Notice posted at Edmonton Ski Club says lease with city to be terminated next month
Watch below: Kendra Slugoski filed this report about the future of the Edmonton Ski Club on Nov. 14, 2017.
At the time, the president of the Edmonton Ski Club told Global News the non-profit board was surprised to see the lease terminated by the city and fences put up on the property.
“We had it budgeted in that we’d kind of be maintaining and looking after the hill with our funding that the city had given us,” Monty Worobec said, adding the board voted to close the ski hill for this winter season and regroup for next year.
Ongoing financial issues, the LRT expansion and the city’s Gallagher Park master plan was behind the decision.
The city said it terminated the ski club’s lease only after the club’s board of directors decided not to open for the 2017-18 season. Operating the site as a skill hill was a requirement of the ski club’s lease with the city, Hurst explained.
In 2016, the club asked the city for $1.3 million in funding spread out over five years so it would still be able to operate while the city develops its master plan for Gallagher Park. The club also faced uncertainty with the Valley Line LRT expected to run through the hill, which would require relocating ski lifts and towers.
READ MORE: City committee in favour of giving Edmonton Ski Club emergency funding
Last winter, the ski hill was targeted by vandals several times, resulting in thousands of dollars worth of damage.
The ski hill operates from November to March and attracts between 15,000 and 32,000 skiers per season.
-With files from Kendra Slugoski, Emily Mertz and Julia Wong