聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 It was an exciting day in Moose Mountain Provincial Park on Tuesday, July 14, as the Minister of Parks, Culture, and Sport Mark Docherty, joined by other Provincial Park officials, celebrated a sod turning of a new service centre at the Main Beach.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Others present in celebrating the new facility included our local Park Supervisor Joan Adams, along with the Deputy Minister Lin Gallagher, Chief of Staff Morgan Bradshaw, and 麻豆视频east Park Area Manager Kathie McFarland.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The facility, which is being funded by the government for nearly $700,000, will become a central hub for people to utilize. Not only will it offer a fully accessible public washroom and shower facilities right at the Main Beach, it will also include a programming area for the Moose Mountain Interpreters to use.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a change house with showers, will be fully accessible, water and energy efficient, and will be a change house meeting modern standards,鈥� McFarland explained. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to incorporate the interpreter centre currently on the beach and open up the view, so when visitors come to the beach and are interested in what鈥檚 going on everything will be centralized.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Despite the park doing a great job keeping the current change house in good shape it is getting older and isn鈥檛 in the same condition it once was, while it no longer meets certain standards, for example it is not fully accessible. The change house also does not currently contain showers for people leaving the beach, which will be a welcomed addition in the new building.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 time; our other building is just shy of 60-years-old and is wearing out,鈥� Adams explained. 鈥淭he new space will have a front office space for our interpreters, so when they鈥檙e running beach programs their equipment can be stored right at the beach instead of back at the interpreter center.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The day of the sod turning was actually the first day of construction as well, which means it should be finished by next year.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he idea is to build and use the old building still while the new one is being built,鈥� Adams said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e expecting it to be up and running next year.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 With this exciting new project, Moose Mountain Provincial Park has seen an investment since 2008-09 of over $3 million by the government and capital projects like the new change house are intended to improve the experience of campers visiting the park.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淢oose Mountain Provincial Park is an oasis in southeastern Saskatchewan,鈥� Hon. Docherty stated. 鈥淭his park is very popular with campers, cottagers and people from surrounding communities. This new service centre will make their experience at Moose Mountain better.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The funding of capital projects as well as upgrades in Saskatchewan鈥檚 numerous provincial parks will total $14.6 million in 2015-16, which is in line with the total investment of over $53 million between a four-year period, having begun in 2012.
