Funds needed for regional recreation facility

Miriam Ostermann, Times Associate Editor

Despite a healthy $10 million capital budget compiled of funds from a three-way partnership towards a regional recreation facility, the town is turning towards Strathmore’s community and surrounding areas to help raise additional funds for outfitting the multigenerational fieldhouse.
With a goal of $1 million dollars to ensure the installation of sports equipment, monitors, score clocks, field turf and much more, many sponsorship opportunities and community investment options are now available in hopes of raising enough funds before the facility opens its doors next Fall.
The town has already raised roughly $500,000 and is now offering naming rights for various components, and enhancement and equipment sponsorships.
“It’s going to be an amazing facility and the cooperation with the two other partners has been phenomenal,” said Mark Brown, project manager with the Town of Strathmore. “Instead of having just one single gym attached to a school, we will have a 55,000 sq. ft. facility that’s multi-purpose for the whole community. At this time, we are hoping that people will come forward but we are also proactively contacting various individuals that have expressed interest in being sponsors with us.”
Numerous naming-right opportunities include the naming of the overall building, the indoor track, lacrosse box, gymnasium as well as many other components such as four dressing rooms, five change rooms, and score clocks.
The Town of Strathmore, Wheatland County, and Golden Hills School Division No. 75 (GHSD) entered into a partnership back in 2015 after a 2014 Strathmore Municipal Development Plan identified a need to ensure all opportunities were explored in building, maintaining and operating a publicly funded recreation facility. According to the 2015 Census Strathmore’s population also increased by nearly eight per cent in three years, with town projections expecting between 21,000 and 28,000 residents by 2030. Wheatland County also experienced a population growth of just over six per cent between 2011 and 2016 as was reported in the Federal Census.
The recreation facility, located at the corner of George Freeman Trail and Edgeview Rd., is being constructed concurrently with a new Kindergarten to Grade 9 public school and will provide year-round multigenerational recreation facilities for sports groups and residents of Wheatland County and Strathmore.
Included in the design is indoor soccer fields, lacrosse, pickle ball, volleyball, basketball and badminton. Furthermore, there will be an elevated walking and running track and the space will be constructed to house special events and trade shows.
GHSD contributed $2 million, while Wheatland County chipped in $3 million and the Town of Strathmore dished out $5 million.
So far the town has contracted the services of Senior Partner of Performance Sponsorship Group and created a sponsorship committee. Brown explained that a fundraising campaign is on the horizon and the town is looking to approach various user groups, service groups, and private donations.
With an earlier completion date originally set for this fall, the project was delayed due to numerous interferences – perfecting the design with various user groups, securing funding, and seeking the most favourable construction season in terms of weather and economic conditions.
For now, Brown expects to have naming-rights sponsorship in place by this fall and raise money through various fundraising activities until the opening in the Fall of 2018.
Naming-rights opportunities and sponsorships will be offered on a first come basis.
For more information contact Judy Haber, senior partner of Performance Sponsorship Group who handles the naming, sponsorship and investment program, at 403-966-4605 or at jhaber@performancesponsorship.com.