A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place yesterday afternoon in Portage la Prairie at the new Central Park location. Parks Committee member and City representative Ryan Espey was there along with Mayor Irvine Ferris who cut the ribbon.

Ryan Espey "It's a component of the overall Park which is the accessible playground," says Espey. "We cut the ribbon and unveiled that. It's been used very frequently with lots of kids. Every time someone drives by there, they're super-impressed to see plenty of kids using that equipment."

He explains he also made the announcement for the next step in implementing another component to the overall park. Espey says the announcement's based on city council approval, and a study is currently underway for a design and operating costs going forward that will be presented to the council. He adds while the Parks Committee is dedicated to fundraising for all of the components without any city council money, due to the cost of maintenance that will be covered by the city it has to  provide its approval. 

Espey says the next component will be a water feature, but exactly what that will be has yet to be determined.

Funding involved for the project includes $15,000 from the Community Foundation of Portage & District with president Carey Duncan, $500 from Farm Credit Canada with representative Tracy Waldvogel, $60,000 from Canada 150 Grant Program which was matched by the city for another $60,000. This makes a total of $135,500.

Parks Committee chair Steve Hildebrand notes the wheelchair accessible aspect is the first of its kind in Portage.