Evergreen Park received $435,000 from the Alberta government, to assist in renovating Lewis Hawkes Pavilion, estimated to be completed by March of 2022.
General Manager Dan Gorman says that funds from the Federal government are matching and from the Community Facility Enhancement Program.
“We applied for it and basically we had to come up with matching funds to match that. We’ve indicated it’s about $870,000 to upgrade and renovate the Pavilion. It will probably end up closer to just over $1 million when everything is complete and you include all of our own internal labour that we’d be dedicating to the project,” he says.
Gorman says that in their efforts, Evergreen Park has raised everything except about $150,000 or $160,000 of the money they need and he feels they are in a good spot.
“We thank the County of Grande Prairie for their generous support and help, as well as our sponsors. However, we are still short and appreciate any donations to help us meet that goal. We still have a good number of months to raise the balance of the matching funds, so we do feel good about it,” he says.
Gorman estimates that they’ve raised about $280,000 themselves to help contribute to the project. He says the work is ongoing but is excited to see the final finished product.
“We’ve got a lot of the work done on the Pavilion and we expect it all to be completed by March 1st, 2022, just before our Agri-Show, from March 9th-12th, here at Evergreen Park,” he says.
Gorman says it’s a complete makeover for the Pavilion, from the inside to the outside. All kinds of new bells and whistles for the building.
“We’re re-tinning the outside and inside of the Pavilion, building an additional tractor shed, which will allow us to bring things in and out. I bought some additional bleachers, re-concreted everything, and we have brand new LED lights,” he says.
Gorman adds that they are building brand new washrooms, a new announcer stand, kitchen and concession area, as well as a bar and lounge with a seating area. “Evergreen Park has also put new LED lights in the parking lot, which is normally a very dark area, so that has helped immensely,” Gorman says.
Gorman says the renovations will give the Pavilion a total makeover, giving them a significant events centre for activities in the whole region and maybe the province, “we’re very excited about it,” he adds.
The Lewis Hawkes Pavilion was originally built in 1982.