A trio of community projects in the Greater Sudbury area are receiving a total of $1.3-million from the province, Minister Greg Rickford announced at the Sudbury Theatre Centre today.
The funding will go toward an outdoor theatre in downtown Sudbury, Kivi Park trails and an economic and community development centre in French River, the minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources said during today’s media conference.
It was a fitting location for the announcement, as one of the funding recipients is Yes Theatre, which is receiving $750,000 toward the development of a new outdoor theatre called The Refettorio.
The outdoor theatre is planned to be built on an empty lot at 131 Durham Street in downtown Sudbury, will seat approximately 180 people and come at a total cost of $2.8 million.
Yes Theatre general manager Scott Denniston told Sudbury.com that between the Sudbury Theatre Centre, Place des Arts and The Refettorio, a “trifecta of performance arts facilities downtown” will be created.
“It’s about creating a space where we can safely bring people together again,” he said of The Refettorio.
“It started as a project because of COVID, but it has quickly become a venue that’s going to become a catalyst or driver for economic development in the downtown, and bringing people downtown again and getting the streets vibrant with art.”
Today’s funding announcement rounds out the project’s major funding partners and sets them on track to breaking ground in early May and the facility opening next summer.
“We are going to do a little bit more community fundraising for the project .. but in terms of the large granting dollars, that’s all secure and we’re ready to go,” Denniston said.
In the past few months, the project also received a $50,000 boost from the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation and $145,000 from the municipality through a facade improvement grant and funds to cover building permit fees and a feasibility study.
Also announced today, the Kivi Park Community Foundation is receiving $502,500 in provincial funding toward the creation of a single network of trails by completing a 15.9-kilometre multi-use trail expansion around Crowley Lake and Linton Lake. This includes a 10-kilometre ski trail and smaller trail loops for picnic areas.
This builds upon the forward momentum the not-for-profit organization established last month, when $445,000 in federal funding was announced for solar lighting to be installed along approximately 3.5 kilometres of trails stretching from the parking lot.
Kivi Park is Sudbury’s largest park at 480 acres and includes 55 kilometres of trails, a 1.3-kilometre skating path, two large playgrounds, a soccer field, a basketball court, ice rink and a water sports complex at Crowley Lake. It is operated by a board of directors and user fees are charged.
The final piece of funding announced this afternoon was $105,395 for the Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l’Ontario to build the French River Youth, Economic and Community Development Centre.
This centre is billed as a place to “support business growth and start-up, economic development and professional and community gathering in French River.”
This was the second announcement Rickford made in Greater Sudbury today, with the other being $2 million over four years in provincial funding toward a roundabout to replace the signalized intersection at Lasalle Boulevard and Frood Road west of Collège Boréal.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
