Decades of work to improve Falkland’s community rink got a big boost this week when the regional district announced it will be putting $50,000 towards a new roof for the ice sheet.
The latest project is putting a roof on the outdoor ice sheet, which often melts in direct sunlight.
The aim of the $300,000 project is not only to lengthen the skating season but also to give the village a new amenity that can host summertime events such as farmers markets.
The village is even making a bid to be named Canada’s Hockeyville in a national competition in the hopes of earning more money to fix up the rink. The Hockeyville title comes with a $250,000 prize for the winning community’s arena.
While the jury is still out on the Hockeyville title and Falkland faces lots of stiff competition, the community got a big break this week when the regional district announced it would give $50,000 to the roof project.
“We were ecstatic,” said Kim Churchill, who coordinates the community’s skating rink.
“I immediately stopped what I was doing and texted and phoned everybody on the committee … we celebrated for the afternoon.”
Churchill said the funding announcement allowed organizers to start finalizing plans for the roof.
They are now just $30,000 short of the $300,000 needed to finish the roof and are planning to start construction this spring.
“It will be amazing for us to finally see it come to fruition and then it will free up a lot of time for our volunteers to concentrate on the next big thing,” said Churchill.
Meanwhile, the Hockeyville finalists will be announced on March 14.