The Town of Sylvan Lake has recently announced that they will be receiving just over $1.76 million from the Government of Alberta’s Municipal Stimulus Program.  The money will be going towards two projects including Phase 2 of Pogadl Park and the NexSource Recreation Centre Lounge upgrades. 

“The stimulus funding has been limited to projects that are shovel-ready but were not available in the budget at the time. These are projects that the municipality had plans for but were saved for future years because of financial constraints,” said Sylvan Lake Mayor Sean McIntyre.

One of the additional requirements of the Municipal Stimulus Program was contributing to red tape reduction which Sylvan Lake Council was able to complete earlier in the year.  

“Back on our January 25th meeting of Council, we approved a lengthy list of red tape reduction initiatives including things like streamlining and speeding up the process for obtaining a business license, streamlining capacity, building for tourism operators in Sylvan Lake, and making sure that we are reviewing and evaluating our municipal regulatory requirements so that we can limit unintended consequences on small businesses,” explained McIntyre.

Phase one of Pogadl Park includes the baseball diamond that has been designed by the Sylvan Lake Gulls, the park entrance and main roadway, as well as onsite utilities. Phase two of Pogadl Park includes a washroom facility, site landscaping, additional paving, a spray park and playground zone. Phase one is near completion but phase two will see construction sooner thanks to the new funding.

“This is a project that is meant to span over many years. Even in today's circumstances, to be able to see us move forward with a significant portion of it is very encouraging and helps us to keep people working both in the construction and management sectors. We're really excited to see things move forward,” added McIntyre.

The additions onto Pogadl Park should be ready for use by 2022. McIntyre says several families were advocating for the spray park over the years.

“We're really excited to be able to make that project a reality, and we know that there have been many people who have been hoping, wishing, and lobbying that would be part of the plan… It was part of the overall plan for Pogadl Park, but it's this provincial stimulus funding that allows us to make it such an early phase in the construction of Pogadl Park. I'm sure it will be welcome news to many families who have been looking forward to having a spray park in our community,” said McIntyre.

The ball diamonds at Pogadl Park will be put to use this summer. The Sylvan Lake Gulls are set to begin their first inaugural season on June 11, 2021.

The Town of Sylvan Lake has been taking advantage of periodic shut downs to the NexSource Centre in order to make a few improvements already but now a couple of enhancements will also be made.

“That includes enhanced cleaning, enhanced maintenance, there are also improvements being made to the Viewpoint Lounge, that is a restaurant facility that overlooks the curling rink, the main spine of the NexSource Centre, and Arena Two. Enhancements have been made in that area to make sure that we can host as many people as possible in a safe and efficient manner,” explained McIntyre.

Overall, the Mayor is pleased to see the projects move forward earlier than expected to offer valuable opportunities for Sylvan Lake residents right at home.

Here's a look at the plans for Pogadl Park. Photo courtesy of the Town of Sylvan Lake.