Grande Prairie City Council has approved an additional $220,000 in funding to go towards the proposed climbing wall project at the Activity and Reception Centre.
The extra money comes as a result of a surplus leftover from the recently hosted Alberta Winter Games in Grande Prairie. According to Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton, council originally budgeted around $100K for the project, with the expectation that the Grande Prairie Climbing Association support the project through fundraising and grant applications.
The total estimated cost for the project is $400K, and combined with the money that was originally approved by council, and the surplus from the AWG, the climbing club is expected to raise the remaining $65,000 leftover for the project. Mayor Clayton maintains that the money will not be distributed until a new Capital Plan is approved during this year’s budget meeting in the Fall.
“Council will have another check-in point when that comes because conversations still need to happen with the Climbing Association in regards to their portion, and the expectation that they will support this project,” she says.
Should the project come up short, city administration suggests that the climbing wall could still go ahead, on a potentially smaller scale, depending on council’s decisions in the Fall.
