The dream of a playground and park in Whitecroft has been something the Community Association of Whitecroft has been conceptualizing for nearly a decade. It’s now a reality with the first phase of construction starting May 30.
The second annual fundraising dinner for the park, which took place on Thursday, May 23 at Bottoms Bar and Grill in Sun Peaks, helped moved the dial on funds needed for the park.
This will be the first playground in Whitecroft and Kaitlyn Lamotte, president of the board of directors for the association, sat down with SPIN to provide some insight into the project.
The two acres of land donated by the family of the late Nanci Wilson, will have a covered area, a pump track and a basketball court as well as the playground structure, Lamotte said.
The construction will begin May 30 with the drilling of the well that will also sit on this site. Keith Lyall joined SPIN and Lamotte just before delivering his announcement speech as MC of the fundraiser, to talk a bit about the construction process.
Lyall is in charge of the construction of the project and sits as the director of the Whitecroft Water Users Society. The water system in Whitecroft needed improvement, he said.
“We basically are running a one-pump system that fills a reservoir, and that reservoir feeds but if we ever had a problem with that one pump, we don’t have a backup,” he explained.“The land needed for the well was kind of a two-fold donation in the fact that we would turn the extra land into a park.”
The Community Association of Whitecroft and the Whitecroft Water Users Society got possession of the land in 2022, Lamotte said.
The vision
Constructing the park will be a three-year process with costs estimated at $400 000.
“There’s a lot of in-kind donations in there, and there’s also some expenses that we’re going to have to pay for, but I think we’re pretty darn close,” Lyall said.
The Community Association of Whitecroft is still accepting monetary donations, big or small, Lamotte added. They have a GoFundMe set up and accept etransfers to @whitecroftassociation@gmail.com as well.
The first year won’t require a lot of spending according to Lyall, with mostly earthworks and fencing. Those preparations can’t begin until after the well is drilled and the line settles, Lamotte explained.
Breaking ground is a big deal, considering the many delays. Lyall pointed to the pandemic, wildfires and dealing with private and government entities as some obstacles leading to this point.
“We just don’t have the funding and the backing to move things as fast as a private sector or public office,” he said. “So it’s been a bit of a struggle, and it’s all on the backs of volunteers.”
Fundraising and volunteering
Many of the businesses that supported the May 23 fundraiser were local to Sun Peaks.
Lamotte estimated that 90 per cent of donations for the silent auction came from Sun Peaks and Whitecroft businesses, with a few from Kamloops as well.
As an improvement from last year, Lamotte shared the event was sponsored by Vike Real Estate and the protein for dinner was provided by Rangeland Meats. With the help of a meat vendor and having an event sponsor, 100 per cent of the ticket proceeds were able to go toward the park.
A bustling crowd of Sun Peaks locals, Whitecroft visitors and more gathered around the silent auction tables, spun a wheel to win prizes donated by the community of Whitecroft and snatched up 50/50 tickets at each table.
Lamotte said later that the fundraiser raised $11,206 to go toward the park.
For years now, the association has been running a bottle drive and collecting sales from a yearly calendar as well to fund the park. They’ve also been chosen as one of the beneficiaries for the Firemen’s Gala, Lamotte announced.
She also noted that they are open to all volunteers, especially when construction gets underway.
“If people are wanting small jobs, we will work around people’s schedule,” she said. “Just let us know what you would love to do, and we’ll make it work.”
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