Plans to construct a permanent outdoor rink at Kin Park are starting to gain some steam.
The committee formed to plan for the project took a couple of significant steps recently.
The group, which is chaired by city Councillor Chris Istace and includes representatives of the City, the Kinsmen and Kinettes, and the Estevan Bruins, recently received a $10,000 community initiative grant from the province. City leisure services manager Brad Gilbert had applied for the grant.
The committee is still waiting to hear back on grant applications to the federal government and to the City, the latter having been applied for by the Kinsmen.
Another milestone was the purchase of rink boards that were used in the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon.
Istace said the boards are "next to new" and will help save some money.
The next item on the agenda is figuring out issues related to the land the rink will be built on. The committee is working with a local architect to look at the site survey and help with that area.
"We really gotta nail down exactly where we're going to position the rink on the property and exactly what we're going to need for the building size, then we'll know what our expected costs are," said Istace.
"Things are rolling. We're working on dialing in how much it's actually going to cost."
The general estimate had been in the $250,000 range when the project was announced in August.
Other than the grant applications, the fundraising process won't begin until the Bruins hold their jersey auction in support of the rink in February.
The Bruins' jersey auction last year, in support of local daycares, raised about $34,000.
Istace said the committee needs to get a better idea of the total cost of the project before embarking on a fundraising campaign.
July 1, 2013 remains the target date for breaking ground on the project.
"I think that's what the Kinsmen want. That's their biggest day of the year at the park," said Istace.
