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Smoky Lanes Bowling to be built next spring in Girouxville
Susan Thompson
for Smoky River Express
The sounds of pins crashing will be echoing in brand-new lanes in Girouxville next year, along with the occasional yell of “Strike!”
The Girouxville Sports Club and the Village of Girouxville are planning to build a four lane, five pin bowling alley on main street. The alley might even feature glow-in-the-dark bowling.
The Sports Club has set up a sub-committee to oversee the project.
“We were looking for a project to keep the community alive and keep the community spirit,” says Sports Club President Denis Boisvert.
The committee felt that rather then replacing the community’s aging curling rink with a new rink and duplicating services in Falher, it would make sense to bring in a new recreational activity that could be used by the majority of the population.
“There are not too many bowling alleys in the area,” Boisvert says.
The new bowling alley will be the only bowling alley within a 100 km radius. Peace River used to have a bowling alley, but it burned down and has not been rebuilt.
A bowling alley is also a good fit for the demographics of the region. Population statistics back up the need for a low-impact sport.
“This is a year-round sport,” says Boisvert, who points bowling can also be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels. “It can go from three to 93.”
It’s also something that might prove attractive to local youth.
“Teenagers on Fridays, what do they do?” Boisvert says, adding that having a new activity like bowling in the village might offer a fun alternative to bored kids.
There are other benefits, too.
“You don’t need much equipment. It’s low cost.”
Boisvert adds that there is strong group of volunteers in the area, and the old curling rink operated successfully for a long time.
“The original curling rink was built in 1962. Not once in 45 years did we have to go outside the area for funding. We feel the bowling alley will be the same.”
The committee’s research also shows a bowling alley is a profitable endeavour and can operate on a stand-alone basis.
“We had a gentleman from Whitecourt give us the numbers on break even points. His expertise is bowling alleys and we’re positive we can show some good returns,” Boisvert says.
Public meetings held last year showed local support for the project. An overwhelming number of letters of support were also received by the committee, many of them from communities outside of Girouxville.
Since then the committee has been busy securing funding for the project, and obtained a $500,000 Major Community Facilities Program grant last spring.
The total budgeted cost of the project is $1.1 million.
“We’ve had some donations, and we’re at about 75 per cent funded so far,” says Boisvert.
Fundraising is now under way to secure the final 25 per cent of the funds needed for the project.
Letters requesting help with sponsorships have been sent out to 200 businesses across the region, including as far away as Peace River.
There are four main levels of sponsorship. Bronze sponsorships are $500 to $1000, Silver sponsorships are $1,000 to $5,000, Gold sponsorships are $5,000 to $10,000, and Platinum sponsorships are $10,000 or more. All donations will be recognized on a wall of fame in the new facility, and donors will receive tax receipts. The top four platinum contributors will also have a lane named after them.
“We’re hoping to have lots of help from the area,” says Boisvert.
The committee hopes to have enough sponsorship commitments in place by the end of December to go to tender with the final plans for the project in the New Year. If needed, the Village of Girouxville may also provide a debenture.
Construction of the bowling alley will start in spring, and the committee feels confident the project will be completed well before the end of 2010.
For more information or to donate a sponsorship, call Denis Boisvert at 780-837-8128 or Estelle Girard at the Village of Girouxville Office at 780-323-4270 .
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