Photo Credit: EverythingGP stock photo

By Shane Clausing

grande prairie curling centre

Grande Prairie Curling Centre seeking $100,000 in emergency funding amid COVID-19 restrictions

Dec 8, 2020 | 3:30 PM

The Grande Prairie Curling Centre is seeking $100,000 in Emergency Community Group Funding to keep the facility up and running this winter.

On Tuesday, Colin Griffith, the Director of the Centre, made his pitch to a Grande Prairie City Committee meeting, expressing the need for funding.

The Curling Centre has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This past September, the club said that it needed at least 90 teams to be registered and playing in order to have a functional curling season and to allow for the facility to continue operations.

The Curling Centre was able to accomplish that and was ready to go for a winter season. Initially, the club was scheduled to begin the season on November 16. However, it was paused because of new COVID-19 restrictions implemented by the Alberta government.

With the Curling season temporarily shut down until the COVID-19 situation in Alberta is under control, Griffith tells EverythingGP that getting extra funds for the club is critical.

“It is absolutely essential. The Curling Centre operates on a revenue base generated from within the membership. This year we haven’t been able to fully open.”

While teams were signed up for the season, according to Griffith, teams pay for what they play. He says about half of their teams paid before the season, and the other half usually would pay before their first game of the season. With no games, any revenue for the centre has dried up.

Assuming that the centre can get the funding, Griffith says they will push forward with a season.

“We’ve advised that we’re hoping to start on January 4 and we’ve extended our curling season until the end of April, which would give us a 16-week season. We’re very hopeful that these lockdowns will have the desired impact.”

Griffith adds that they’re also in the process of applying for extra funding fro mthe federal government.

For now, the Curling Centre will have to wait until December 14 for City Council to debate the facility’s need for money.

If approved, it wouldn’t be the first time that money has been allocated to the facility.

Earlier this year, the Curling Centre received $63,237 for their lease agreement through the City’s Community Group Funding program. In 2019, the city also provided emergency funding to the Curling Centre worth $92,783 as the organization was not able to meet its commitment to the utility provider at the time.

Griffith is hopeful that something can be worked out.

“It was unanimously approved at the committee meeting Tuesday, and we were very pleased that the decision on the committee level was unanimous and certainly we appreciate that very much. We appreciate all the support and relationship we have with the City of Grande Prairie.”