St. Albert Historical Society representatives were thrilled to meet yesterday with local member of Parliament Brent Rathgeber as he handed over a $500,000 cheque for the first phase of the Founders’ Walk project.
The cash infusion was provided under the Historical Anniversaries Legacy Funds, through the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program that supports projects that celebrate and preserve local historical heritage.
Construction on Founders’ Walk started in June and is meant to wrap up in time for St. Albert’s 150th anniversary celebrations next year. It will consist of a fully accessible pathway running from the downtown clock tower down Perron Street and up Mission Hill towards St. Albert Parish. This funding will be used to install trilingual displays and storyboards in English, French and Cree. They will be used to identify the historically significant buildings, locations and events along that path, as well as potentially upgrading Mission Hill Park and Founders’ Court.
Ray Pinco, a member of the historical society, was thrilled with the gift.
“Our reaction to the funding coming through is elation,” he said. “We were fairly confident that we would probably get something but we didn’t think that we would get the entire amount. That was a bit of a surprise.”
He added that this is a strong validation for how important St. Albert’s role was in the country’s history and how vital it is to preserve it through efforts like this project.
“I think the fact that we did receive the entire amount of our application is a good indication that the project is worthwhile. I think it’s an indication that Heritage Canada considers St. Albert a fairly significant place in western Canada.”
This $500,000 satisfies the budgeted amount of $1.3 million for phase one, with the rest provided evenly from the city and province.
Pinco said work is currently progressing on time and on budget. Phase two of the project will extend the path toward the grain elevators. No schedule has yet been set for that work.
