Grande Prairie city council will soon vote on whether or not to take over ownership of several Legion Field amenities after the Grande Prairie Football Association requested to gift ownership of the media tower, bleachers, lights, and scoreboard to the city.
Manager of Sports Development, Wellness, and Culture Stephanie Cajolais says the recommendation would be for the city to take over the facilities, as it could potentially add to the ability in booking larger-scale events in the future.
“It’s the only certified track and field facility in the northwest region, so certainly maintaining that site and creating a space where we can host large-scale events is beneficial to the community,” she says.
“It has been used for that historically, so it may give us an opportunity to attract those larger-scale events, promote sports tourism, and ultimately outdoor recreation in the community and across the region.”
Cajolais says the city has completed an assessment on the area, with maintenance costs expected to be about $8,000 annually and capital repairs coming in at around $120,000. She says the repairs, while expensive, didn’t present any glaring red flags.
“Just general improvements, [and] there are stairs that need to be replaced on the exterior of the building, and then some internal improvement… nothing substantial,” she adds.
The request to gift the assets to the city came after the Grande Prairie Football Association suggested it does not have the resources to continue and maintain the site. It’s expected city council will vote on the issue at its upcoming August 9th meeting.
