Additional $3M pledged for new Sydney Curling Club, construction could start this fall
That comes after a $10-million commitment last fall from the federal government.
Curling club president Travis Stone said members will miss the 115-year-old building on George Street in downtown Sydney, but are looking forward to having a new one at the corner of Ferry Street and Stable Drive in Open Hearth Park.
"It's bittersweet," he said Tuesday. "All I hear from members here is how much they love the place and it's cosy, it's like our second home, but we know there's not a whole lot of life left in this place, so you've got to make a new home and we're ready for that.
"I think the love of the sport kind of trumps all."
Stone said the club is hoping to start construction this fall, with a new building opening in 2027.
"With curling, it's a little bit difficult to move into a building when you're in the middle of a season, so we're trying to line things up with the start of a season or the end of a season," he said.
The new building will house six sheets instead of the four available to curlers now and will add a community meeting room for events.
Stone said the extra space is needed for a beloved Canadian sport that "is just booming."
"We don't have room to fit any more members," he said of the existing facility. "Since we had the Scotties here and the women's world championship ... it's just super popular now. We just don't have anywhere to put them."
A place for community
Cape Breton East MLA Brian Comer said the new facility will provide a safe space where people can get out and socialize.
"When you think back to COVID and people couldn't get out and be active and talk to their neighbours and talk to folks within their community, it had really significant impacts on physical and mental health," said Comer, who announced the funding Tuesday at the Sydney Curling Club.
Stone said the estimated cost of the new facility is about $18 million. The club has some funds saved and expects to put the sale of the existing facility toward the capital cost of construction.
Stone said talks are also underway to get a contribution from Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
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Winnipeg Free Press
35 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
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Japan Forward
6 hours ago
- Japan Forward
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Montreal Gazette
7 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Zurkowsky: Sean Whyte's last-second field goal carries visiting Lions past Alouettes
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After cornerback Kabion Ento intercepted an underthrown pass in the end zone for Hatcher, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, replacing Alexander, directed Montreal on a three-play, 80-yard scoring drive — capped by a 45-yard pass-and-run touchdown to Tyson Philpot, who broke numerous tackles. But for the second consecutive game, Bethel-Thompson, 37, simply didn't do enough to put Montreal's offence in a position to win. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 192 yards and a second touchdown on a 14-yard pass to tailback Sean Thomas-Erlington just before halftime. The Alouettes, however, were held to a pair of field goals following the intermission. Bethel-Thompson missed open receivers, didn't move the pocket frequently enough and had to leave the game temporarily following an eight-yard run in the third quarter when he left his upper-body exposed and was viciously tackled by linebacker Deontai Williams. Bethel-Thompson should know better at this stage of his career. 'It's a loss. There's no individual performances, it's just a loss,' Bethel-Thompson said. 'There were a lot of big plays we left out there. A lot of inches we couldn't quite accomplish. If we do that, if we don't kick ourselves in the foot, we should be pulling away with this game. 'I'll say it bluntly, I don't think 20 points is enough to win a game. We can do better on offence. We were right there on a lot of situations.' The Als had 23 first downs and 312 yards' net offence, but ran only 50 plays and had the ball for 29:15. But at least — unlike last week at Hamilton — they ran the ball. Thomas-Erlington, playing the 100th game of his career, gained 76 yards on 11 carries. Montreal produced 120 yards along the ground. Defensively, the Alouettes held B.C. to a pair of touchdowns. Rourke, the CFL's highest-paid player, scored on a two-yard run early in the second quarter. He also passed 46 yards to Stanley Berryhill III 10 minutes into the fourth quarter after safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy fell on the play. 'Bad footing. That's pretty much it,' Dequoy said. 'I tripped and let a big play happen. We didn't win, so I don't think (our pass defence) did great.' Rourke, who missed the last two games with an oblique injury, shredded the Alouettes' pass defence, completing 22 of 36 for 352 yards. There was an incident postgame when B.C.'s Kemoko Turay, a defensive-end, appeared to inexplicably try to enter Montreal's dressing room. He undoubtedly will be fined by the league. Montreal's next game is July 17, at home, against Toronto. Alexander is expected to return that night. The Alouettes surely require his presence before this promising season further deteriorates.
