Contest prize eludes Prince Albert, but water park upgrades may come

Upgrades to Prince Albert's aging water park could be in the works, even though a hoped-for funding boost from a national contest did not pan out.

Prince Albert was one of several communities in the running for a $100,000 prize from a commercial promotion called the Kraft Celebration Tour. As it turned out, Barrhead, Alta., won the big money.

However, Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne said Monday that people -- and business leaders -- from his city are keen to fix the water slides, and help fund the project.

"They realized that the community really wants it and the stress that it has on our young people and stuff like that," Dionne said.

The mayor would not be more specific about who would be providing the money, saying details would have to wait for a formal announcement.

However, Dionne said he was confident that information would be available sometime this fall and that the work on the slides could begin shortly after that.

The city has committed $60,000 for the project. Another $25,000 was awarded to Prince Albert as a finalist in the Kraft contest.

That leaves some $175,000 for the project, which has an estimated cost of $260,000.

Dionne noted the Kraft promotion seemed to catch the imagination of many in the city.

"Our community got great national exposure, and it brought our community together," he said. "On a day it was raining. It was wet, it was cold and it was miserable, and our citizens showed up to support our community."