Disappointment reigns after an application for funding for a new Revelstoke skateboard park was turned down by the Federal government.
"It's bit of a tough one to swallow because we would have been able to build next year with this money," said Karl Jost, president of the Columbia Valley Skateboard Association. "It might just delay the project another year or two."
MP David Wilks gave the bad news in response to a question from the Review at Friday morning's funding announcement for the Big Eddy Waterworks.
He said he didn't know why the application was denied.
"It's merit-based. It's based on what (Western Economic Diversification Canada) decides to fund," he said. "My role in this is to announce the projects that have been funded."
For the CVSA the news came as a shock. They felt their application for $250,000 in funding from the government's $150-million Canada 150 Fund stood a very strong chance of getting through.
"Our application was spot on. We had a great endorsement, we're shovel-ready," said Jost. "We had a total of $500,000 committed from two other funders based on getting this grant."
The other potential funders were the Columbia Basin Trust and the Resort Municipality Infrastructure Fund; Jost said they both committed to matching any federal funding. He hopes they will maintain their commitment while the CVSA pursues other grant opportunities.
"We have a list of grants, so we're going to concentrate on all those and focus on fundraising and grant writing this winter, and see how we look for next year," he said.
The Review is waiting for an explanation from Western Economic Diversification Canada, the Federal organization tasked with distributing the Canada 150 grants in B.C., as to why funding was denied. The organization has made dozens of funding announcements over the past few days.
The CVSA was formed in 2010 with the aim of building a new skateboard park in Revelstoke. It took several years to secure a site; with the city eventually agreeing to let them replace the existing facility in Kovach Park.
Last year, New Line Skateparks was contracted to design and build the new park. The plan they came up with was met with rave reviews at an open house in April.
The new skateboard design, created by New Line Skateparks.