A group of Castlegar Rotary Interact students pitched the creation of an outdoor basketball court to Castlegar City Council this week.
The group appeared on behalf of The Classic Foundation, Castlegar Rotary, Sunrise Rotary and Stanley Humphries Secondary School, who are backing the project.
The students told council that basketball is becoming more and more popular with local youth, but the city lacks a good outdoor court.
Currently, kids are playing outdoor basketball at Cone Hill Park, Twin Rivers and Kinnaird Elementary and Stanley Humphries Secondary School.
But according to the students, those courts all have serious drawbacks including uneven surfaces, no lines and no actual courts. All but the Stanley Humphries court are just hoops with some concrete. In addition, the spaces at the elementary schools have been encroached on by portable classrooms.
They presented results from youth engagement projects including a leadership fair at Stanley Humphries Secondary School that showed overwhelming support for an basketball court.
Youth engagement walks, workshops and vision boards held in conjunction with the City of Castlegar in 2023 also demonstrated a large amount of support for an outdoor court.
After the presentation, Mayor Maria McFaddin attested that during the times she has engaged with local youth, the number one thing she is approached about is a basketball court.
“I am very excited to see young people come before us and take the initiative,” said McFaddin.
The project’s proponents envision a zero-taxation model, where all construction costs are obtained through fundraising and grants.
What they are asking the city for is a space on city land to build to the court.
The Classic Foundation’s president, Bergen Price, attended the meeting with the students.
He said that Rotary has committed to help fund the project. In addition, the group has identified several potential grant opportunites but the grants require the securing of the space to build the project prior to application.
Approximate costs are estimated at $174,000 based on a court recently built by the Nelson Hoops Association.
The next step is for the project’s proponents to meet with city staff to discuss options regarding moving forward.
You can watch the presentation at castlegar.ca on the May 6 council meeting video.
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