The Rotary Club of Prince Albert has announced plans to build a new children’s adventure park inside Little Red River Park for the club’s centennial project.
The new park will be located near Cosmo Lodge, and is designed to include challenging play structures for youth of all ages. The Rotary Club has a concept plan in place, but still needs to hammer out the final details with the City of Prince Albert, including the park’s name. Tentatively, they’re calling it the Rotary Adventure Park.
Mayor Greg Dionne said the Rotary Club has committed a lot to the City of Prince Albert over their 100 year history, and the new adventure park will add to that legacy.
“It’s another gift to our city,” Dionne said.
Rotary Club president Joe Weinrich said Little Red River Park wasn’t their first choice when they sat down to consider possible ideas for the club’s centennial project. However, after evaluating several projects, they realized Little Red was an important part of Prince Albert and they wanted to help make it better.
“What we’re trying to do is ask ‘what’s beneficial to the community and what’s accessible to everybody?’” Weinrich said. “Little Red, I think the mayor said, is just a gem. It’s something very special, and I think with Rotary working with the city and with other organizations, it can be one of the best parks in the country.”
While concept plans are in place, the club still has to finalize its fundraising model. They already have a strong head start, largely thanks to local philanthropist Malcolm Jenkins, who was one of the first donors to jump on board. So far, the Club has more than $100,000 in donations committed towards the project, but future fundraising plans haven’t been finalized.
While the final details still need to be confirmed, project committee chair Keith Fonstad said they are planning to refresh or replace some existing infrastructure, while also adding new amenities.
Planning for the adventure park began more than a year and a half ago, and Fonstad said they hope it’s something the entire community can benefit from.
“We know that the usage out at the Little Red is pretty high with a lot of community members, and the infrastructure is aged and could be improved,” he said.
“Our focus has always been on families and children,” he added. “That was one of our main criteria, and Little Red just seemed to fit perfectly with it.”
The Rotary Club of Prince Albert celebrated its 100th anniversary on Saturday at the Coronet Hotel.