Bert Layh Memorial Park Pickleball Court gets funding approved

Pickleballers in Northshore Heights will have a court they won’t have to go too far to play on soon.

The M.D. of Bonnyville is pushing ahead with an additional $32,000 to complete the Bert Layh Memorial Park Pickleball Court after using funds from the Legacy Fund in 2020.

The Northshore Heights and Shay Cho Bay Community Society were previously approved at the August 12, 2020 council meeting with an approved budget of $132,000.00 in anticipation of construction getting done last year.

With those timelines moved to 2021 and the added asks of a walking trail from the parking spaces to the court to allow for handicap accessibility, a concrete pad for a park bench, and signage for rules and a, “Thank you to our Partner, the MD of Bonnyville’s Legacy Fund,” council agreed to the requests.

Two pickleball courts will be built.

Also brought forward during last Wednesday’s council meeting was a request from the Bonnyville Golf and Country Club for $500,000 from the Legacy Fund to match a provincial grant to replace their irrigation system.

Reeve Greg Sawchuk said that request will come back to council.

“This one came to council kind of as a surprise, and because of that it was put off to the side for more information. Because $500,000 that’s an item that usually you would want to see in a budget. That’s a lot of money.

“It’ll end up coming back, we’re going to be asking those that brought it forward, that they look at other sources of funding. Where is the membership on this thing? And whether or not there is the appetite amongst council to put this ahead of what the residents told us in the recreation survey is going to be the big question.”