OUTLOOK - The recent AGM (annual general meeting) hosted by the Outlook & District Regional Park has provided an overview of the current financial situation and what's happening down in the popular tourism hotspot.
Held on Tuesday night, March 26 in the court room of the Outlook town offices building, the meeting brought out 13 people and included not only a look at the Park's current financial standings, as well as an administrator's report, but news of upcoming events that the public may be interested to know in order to update their calendar of events this coming summer.
For example, a summer cabaret is being planned to take place in the Park on Saturday, July 6 featuring Saskatoon rock group Longshot, with funds that are raised going toward the fill-in of the old swimming pool location, which is being eyed for future development.
Administrator Kaitlyn Gifford's report highlighted the 2023 year down in the Park, noting several key areas of success and the state of current projects. A number of events ranging from small to large scale were held in the Park, with generous sponsorship helping to add to their success. Such events included the Family Day Book Trail contest, as well as the annual Mother's Day Market, Canada Day in the Park, a Summer Art Camp, the annual Canoe Trip, a free movie in the Park Bowl, the Halloween Haunted Walk Thru the Creepy Cabins, and the fan favorite Winter Wonderland drive-thru exhibit.
Income from park entry and camping increased by approximately 4% from the previous year, with Gifford noting that the upward trend is nice and something that she hopes to see continue into this coming spring and summer's camping season.
Campsites in Nichol Place (sites 1-26) were said to be fully booked every weekend in July and August, with the rest of the campground (not including overflow) reaching near-full capacity during weekends in both of those months, but the weekdays were generally quiet. In order to boost the camping numbers during the middle of the week, the Park is planning on offering a deal consisting of, "Buy 2 nights, get the 3rd at 50% off when staying Tuesday night to Thursday night."
The park tackled a number of small-scale projects that were completed in 2023, making for a busy year. This included the replacement of some of the pole BBQs in the campground, as well as adding electric hand dryers to the washrooms, which was said to solve the Park's problem of plugged septic lines. As well, a new zero-turn lawn mower was purchased.
It was also shared that one of the large American Elm trees fell in the Park Bowl and had to be removed. Gifford stated that the stand of trees in that particular area of the Park is getting old and also adds a threat of Dutch Elm disease, which the Park is monitoring annually. However, the Park received grant money through the Trans Canada Trail, and the funds were used to purchase ten Maple trees, which were planted by the Outlook High School's Outdoor Education class.
One of the year's larger projects was the addition of three cabins to the campground, which were placed in three underused sites in the Park's Group Camping area. Some work is still required after a new splash of paint to the cabins, but Gifford says the plan is to have them ready for the upcoming season.
As well, the Park has completed the initial step of filling the old swimming pool, which saw the bottom of the pool broken up as per the recommendation of engineers. The location is now ready to be filled and the Park is currently sourcing fill material and collecting quotes from local contractors, as well as seeking grants for this project.
The Park's website has also been updated with the addition of a donation button, which Gifford says will be handy during free events that are held, allowing people to donate to the Park using a QR code. Finally, the Saskatchewan Regional Park Association chose Outlook as well as a few others to host Studio D YXE to film some footage for a promotional video. Gifford is waiting to check out the video and hopes it can be used to promote the Outlook & District Regional Park.
The 2023 year also saw some changes to the Park Board, with five new directors joining. The current Board of Directors is comprised of Joel Davey (Chairperson, Member at Large), Kyle McLeod (Vice Chairperson, Town of Outlook Council Member), Dana Kendall (Town Council Appointee), Bill Thompson/Bryce Mauch (1 member, RM of Fertile Valley), Kelly Martin (RM of Rudy), Susan Robertson (Village of Broderick), Shannon Hetrick/Harley Dillon (1 member, Village of Glenside), Bill Stewart (Riverview Golf Club), Maury Ziegler (Member at Large), Kendra Christensen (Member at Large), while a spot for a representative from the Village of Macrorie remains open.
As far as actual dollars and cents are concerned, the new budget for the Park is said to be an "evolving document" with numbers not entirely set in stone, but an overview of what was provided at the meeting helps paint the picture of what was collected in 2023 and what may come in 2024.
Total Revenue
2023 Budget - $244,600.00
2023 Actual - $275,022.01
2024 Budget - $267,512.50
Total Expenses
2023 Budget - $277,644.00 (Net Income/Loss of $-33,044.00)
2023 Actual - $232,454.10 (Net Income/Loss of $42,567.91)
2024 Budget - $296,251.58 (Net Income/Loss of $-28,739.08)
