A new outdoor space to be utilized by Lac La Biche County residents and visitors will be constructed outside the Bold Center.
After applying for the federal Healthy Communities Initiative, that aimed to provide funding to create and transform public spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic, municipal officials will go ahead with the construction in the coming weeks.
The funding was approved early this month, and will see a $99,000 contribution from the government funding program to create a patio to be enjoyed year round, said Darrell Lessmeister, Lac La Biche County’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Recreation and Community Services.
Outdoor fireplace
“We got $99,000 for different things like patio furniture out in front of the Bold Center. We’re going to hopefully have that up so it would be all season. There would be a bit of a fireplace in front of the library,” he said, that would tie in with the existing indoor-outdoor fireplace feature on the Stuart MacPherson Library wall.
Calling it an exciting new space, the project is expected to be ready this fall, and is hoped to add to one the county’s jewel—the Bold Center—which has been a recreation, event and socializing hotspot since it was built a decade ago. With the new outdoor addition that will not only include furniture and heat but also windbreak panels to protect during the cold season, it’s an exciting opportunity to bring people together at the facility, said Lessmeister.
“We’ll move forward with getting that outside patio furniture and have an area that can be used almost all year long outside,” he said.
While the goal is to have the patio ready for the first few months of Autumn, like everything else, supply issues and product availability are part of the planning process
“We will try and get it done before Oct. 1. We know anything we apply for now or order, things are delayed and we’ll try to get it as soon as we can,” he said.
