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Cold Lake Events Centre seeks funding

The Community Events Centre Fundraising Committee held its first meeting in Cold Lake to brainstorm ideas and get the ball rolling on fundraising on Aug. 16.
The Cold Lake Community Events Centre will have room for 1,800 hockey fans and a capacity of 3,000 for concerts.
The Cold Lake Community Events Centre will have room for 1,800 hockey fans and a capacity of 3,000 for concerts.

The Community Events Centre Fundraising Committee held its first meeting in Cold Lake to brainstorm ideas and get the ball rolling on fundraising on Aug. 16.

The committee is tasked with implementing a fundraising strategy to add to the City's capital funding for the Community Events Centre. The committee is looking for $5-7 million in sponsorship dollars to help pay for the Events Centre. Armand Gagnier, fundraising co-ordinator, has been working on getting the fundraising wheels moving since appointed to the task in May.

The total cost was initially estimated to be around $20 million, which escalated to as much as $22 million due to a few additions, such as upgraded seats, which weren't in the initial plan. As many of the tenders have not gone out yet, the final cost is not known.

Gagnier informed the new committee of four silver ($10,000) sponsorships sold to date, as well as an anonymous $70,000 contributor at its meeting. The committee has reached around $113,000 in funds raised toward the project. Information on sponsorships can be found online at www.coldlake.com.

The building will be 95,000 square feet in size and include 1,500 permanent seats and 300 movable seats. The plan includes six dressing rooms, a centre ice score clock, concessions, a kitchen, and some retail space. The structure also includes an upper concourse level.

“It's sort of a mini-coliseum or a mini Rexall Place,” said Gagnier.

Mayor Craig Copeland said the Events Centre would improve the quality of life for residents in and around the city. “Recreation is a big component of quality of life,” he said. “We need to invest in these types of buildings.”

He added that the Events Centre, with a total seating capacity of 2,500 to 3,000, would host concerts and major trade shows. “It's much more than just hockey,” he said. “It's something a community of our size needs and it's long overdue.”

“It's certainly something that's badly needed in Cold Lake to replace the aging structures that we have now,” said Gangier, adding that it could help attract employers to the area.

“It's very important for the city to have modern facilities for not only our existing citizens but also the newcomers that are coming to the community,” he said, adding that the region will experience significant growth in the next five years.

The City of Cold Lake council chose Copeland as the committee's chair at its meeting on Aug. 10. The committee calls for one member from the City, the MD of Bonnyville, and the Recreation & Culture Advisory Committee, as well as four members at large appointed by the Cold Lake Council. The four community members appointed are Clint Cook, Crystal Frey, Keith Reider, and Rhonda Wutzke.

The City is waiting to hear back from the Province, the MD, and the federal government to see if funding will be made available to support the Events Centre. The City has committed around $15 million to the project.

Construction will start in the fall with a completion date aimed for in late 2011 or early 2012. The committee plans to break the ground in mid-September.

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