Kinosoo Ridge Adventure Park construction could be pushed back to next year

Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort is hoping to become an all-seasons destination soon, but we’ll have to wait longer until construction begins on their Adventure Park.

The Kinosoo Ridge Adventure Park expansion project is facing delays due to a rare plant study from Alberta Environment and the contingency of an $800,000 federal infrastructure grant.

The M.D. set aside $1.9 million in this year’s capital budget for the adventure park, which aims to make Kinosoo Ridge a year-round attraction and hoped to open by May long weekend 2020, but that could be pushed back until the fall or next year.

The M.D. of Bonnyville believes that the ICIP grant will not be awarded until the fall – if they get it – and they cannot proceed with a tender until the grant is awarded.

Plus, the rare plant study begun by Alberta Environment must happen before construction begins on the adventure park.

“We need to accept that grant first, then we start on it,” said Deputy Reeve Ben Fadeyiw.

“We can do a lot of the legwork behind the scenes as far as that goes, I think they’re on board with that, so when fall comes they can be ready.

 

“But it looks like it’s going to be a next year construction versus this year…then we keep everybody happy. Alberta Environment and the plant species they’re studying and the grant money as far as getting $800,000.”

M.D. director for recreation, parks, and culture, Chris McCord, said with these factors in play, it’s hard to create a construction timeline.

“We’re just going to wait for those approvals to come in. We’re going to wait for the grant for successful and then from there, we’ll have a better timeline understanding of when it’s actually going to be built,” said McCord.

Kinosoo’s adventure park would be similar to the one at Snow Valley. It’s a three-tiered rope apparatus with obstacles that gets progressively harder depending on your skill level.

“You can work your way up. So you’re on the first level, and you get through all that, then you can go up to the second level. You’re hooked in, so you have a harness. Then you have these hooks that actually talk to each other, so you cannot unhook yourself until you’re hooked into the next thing,” said Chris McCord.

The park will also have local themes, like oil and gas, that make it a Lakeland themed attraction.

The Alberta Environment study is believed to be about a rare fern.

McCord said if rare plant species were to be found, then they might have to consider moving the park, but added that this hasn’t been discussed.