Investments of $ 23 million in local infrastructure by the governments of Canada and Manitoba were awarded to 15 culture and recreation projects – 4 of them are located in the City of Brandon for a total of 10 , $ 5 million.
Mayor Rick Chrest said the $ 11.5 million outdoor sports complex is a long-term project and will host all kinds of sporting activities including soccer, ultimate frisbee and cricket. The old football field we had was successively flooded and was no longer going to be viable. So, for some time we have been trying to find the right location and come up with an exciting new design.
The new outdoor sports complex (which does not yet have an official name) will be built at the corner of 1st Street and Veterans Way on the eastern outskirts of town.
“We’re very excited,” adds Chrest. “Brandon tends to be a regional supportive community for all of western Manitoba. We know there will be more people than Brandon who can take advantage of these facilities. So I think it’s going to be awesome for the whole area!
The next step is to create the detailed project drawing, and then the project will be launched next year for the project to be completed by 2024.
Chrest reminds us that a new soccer field takes time to mature before teams are allowed to kick that first ball.
“Unlike building buildings where you just finish it, turn the key and walk in, with landscaping and especially field operations, they need a bit of time to mature before they go. be able to play on it, so there will be a bit of a delay as the fields reach their maturity level where they can withstand the rigors of the sports being played.
The outdoor sports project is jointly funded by 3 levels of government: federal funding of $ 3,961,384, the Province of Manitoba $ 4,170,103 and the City of Brandon $ 3,401,974.
Three other Brandon projects benefit from this cultural and recreational infrastructure: the Dood Cristall Family YMCA Expansion Project, the Brandon Centennial Auditorium Sound System and the Brandon Riverbank Canoe Kayak Launch Site.
“If COVID didn’t teach us anything else, it’s that people really enjoyed using the facilities and the outdoor activities, because sometimes that’s all we had,” adds Mayor Chrest. “So that sort of refocused a lot of attention on the outdoors, so now is a perfect time for that.”
