Although the verdict is still out whether the town will provide $150,000 in interim bridge funding to the proposed skatepark project, a local businessman has agreed to pick up the tab if the Kiwanis Club is unable to pay that borrowed money back in three years.
“Since I’ve put the request for interim bridge funding before the town, they’ve been concerned about being left with the bag,” said Steve Maki, chair of the skatepark committee.
“Jim MacDonald of MacDonald Motors has put it in writing to the town that he’s committed to backing the skatepark to the point where he’ll pay $150,000.
“I don’t know how they [the town] can say no,” he added.
Maki said he was pleasantly surprised by MacDonald’s move as he had only spoken with him briefly about the project a few times. “I think it’s going to help the community realize this is going to happen,” he enthused.
Maki learned about MacDonald’s commitment Friday, but didn’t say anything until late Tuesday afternoon—after he had submitted the skatepark business plan to the town for discussion by the Administration and Finance executive committee.
Maki previously had appeared before council requesting the interim bridge funding in order to get work started on the proposed skatepark—which will resemble a large concrete bowl and is projected to cost $300,000—this summer.
He had asked for $150,000 from the town, with the rest of the cost being covered by the Kiwanis Club, which has been fundraising for the project for about eight months.
Maki noted he’s confident the Kiwanis would be able to pay back the town within the three-month period.
In related news, the skatepark committee is looking to begin a “brick campaign” fundraiser—similar to the one the Lions Club used during its Millennium Park campaign a few years ago—in the next couple of weeks.
“We think it’s a great idea to get businesses on board,” said Maki. “It helps us to get the park built, it gets their [sponsor businesses] names out there.”
Maki noted that unlike the “donor wall” the Riverside Foundation for Health Care uses in its fundraising, donors who buy multiple bricks could take up a block of space big enough to place a corporate or business logo on.
These bricks would be visible on a patio area at the skatepark.
“People that give more, get more. And it’ll be there a long time,” Maki said.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
