ALEXANDRIA – In June 2021, Township staff applied to the Canada Community Revitalization Fund for the expansion of the Alexandria Skate Park.
The Honourable Filomena Tass, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, announced that the Township of North Glengarry was awarded an amount of $275,000.00 with the total costs expected to be $375,000.00. This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
The Alexandria Skate Park expansion will increase the surface by nearly 200% from 3,525 square feet to 9,670 square feet. Currently, the existing skate park provides a one-at-a-time user experience. The proposed park will allow for multiple users at the same time with segregated starting and resting locations. The new design plans include open areas for multiple users on the course at the same time while maintaining social distancing.
The course is designed with inclusive accessible diverse obstacles at today’s standards of skateboarding which will encourage the continued growth of the sports for all ages, genders and abilities. The skate park encourages more people to be active, opens new career opportunities and creates lifelong connections. Schools have included skateboarding in their sports curriculums.
The support through fundraising throughout the municipality is evident with well over $50,000.00 of the remaining $100,000.00 received in donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses in the community. A GoFundMe page has been created to accept donations at https://www.gofundme.com/f/alexandria-skatepark-expansion or cheques can be forwarded directly to the Township of North Glengarry indicating that the donation is for the Alexandria Skate Park.
“This is a great example of what working together can achieve for our region,” said MP Francis Drouin. “I’m thrilled to see this project go through and give so many more community members the chance to enjoy our local recreation facilities. These are the types of investments that make communities like Alexandria a place to work, live and play.”
“We are pleased that the government recognizes the importance of providing support for all types of recreational facilities in the Township of North Glengarry”, said Mayor Jamie MacDonald. “We want to encourage our residents to enjoy the variety of recreation facilities available to them in the Township and to see these facilities being used to their full potential.”
