September 30, 2009

Province Moves Ag-Event Centre Forward With $3.2 Million

Ponoka’s growth as an agricultural service community will take root with a provincial grant to build the Ponoka Ag-Events Centre.

The $3.2-million grant will assist with the development of the $8-million multi-purpose centre, including construction of an indoor arena, banquet area, concession, stock pens, indoor barns, administrative areas and parking.

“This new centre will help to meet the year-round agricultural, equine, recreation and special events needs of residents in Ponoka and many surrounding communities,” said Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Ray Prins. “This partnership is an example of strong commitment to the community and foresight of community leaders.”

“This has been a long time coming,” added Prins, who was given credit for moving the grant application through the provincial government’s bureaucracy.

Because Ponoka County extends west in MLA Ty Lund’s Rocky Mountain House constituency, the former ag minister was also convinced to top up the grant available in Lacombe-Ponoka with $1.5 million.

Prins said he and Lund spent time over the last five years meeting with stakeholders, municipal politicians and cabinet ministers and eventually “convinced the minister this was a worthy project.”

Society president Charlie Cutforth welcomed guests and representatives from the four partners in the Ponoka Agricultural Event Centre Society to the cheque presentation Sept. 26. “This is a terrific day for the Ponoka community.” The project, in various guises, has been in the works for at least seven years but really took off in the last year with the enthusiastic support of the Ponoka Agricultural Society, Cutforth added.

Working together to benefit the community, the Ponoka Stampede Association, the Ponoka Agricultural Society, Ponoka County and Town of Ponoka “are doing things we can’t possibly do in some of our larger cities,” said Lindsay Blackett, minister of culture and community spirit.

“Collaboration can lead to amazing accomplishments,” he said. “Thank you to all the groups involved in this important project. I am confident that funds provided for this new facility will enhance Ponoka’s already rich heritage, while boosting both tourism and the local economy.”

Blackett said the $3,204,904 Major Community Facilities Program (MCFP) grant “helps build facilities and in doing that, enhance communities.”

“Our programs are not just about giving out money, it’s about giving a hand up to a community who’s already invested time and effort,” Blackett said. The government is eager to step in to help communities achieve their goals when there is a collaborative effort and sweat equity.

Ponoka Mayor Larry Henkelman thanked the committee members for their hard work and the government members for their financial support of the project. The project also has the support of the town’s economic development board, the Ponoka and District Chamber of Commerce and other businesses and community organizations.

“It will improve our whole community,” Henkelman said. “Once completed, we’ll see a big economic spin off from it.” “It’s a great day,” said ag society director Greg Bowie. “It will be an excellent day when we finally get the shovel in the ground, which shouldn’t be too far into the future now.” Cutforth expects the sod turning to be held within three weeks and construction to begin in April. “One year from now, optimistically this time next year, the doors should be open.”

By George Brown. Ponoka News.

 

September 30, 2009

Growing Demand for Ag-Events Centre in Ponoka

Growing demand for ag-events centre in Ponoka

September 30, 2009

Principals are champing at the bit to break ground for the planned $8-million Ponoka Ag-Events Centre.

The Ponoka Agricultural Event Centre Society spent the summer reviewing plans “so we know exactly what it is we want to build,” said president Charlie Cutforth. “We’re committed to this. This is gonna happen.”

The move to construction has been spurred on by a major grant from Alberta Culture and Community Spirit.

Cutforth said preliminary plans have been reviewed by a construction firm to help identify design concerns and to nail down the cost. Wherever possible local businesses will be invited to bid on the project.

“We’re committed to ensure all local businesses have an opportunity to tender or participate in some way. “For a public facility such as this, we need to have local business support,” Cutforth confirmed. “And the only way we can expect that is obviously if they are being treated right and have the opportunity to be a part of it.”

EnCana is the major corporate sponsor at this point, committing $500,000. The four partners have provided funds or gifts in kind: Ponoka County, $1.7 million; Ponoka Stampede Association, 15 acres of land valued at $500,000; Ponoka Agricultural Society, $275,000; and the Town of Ponoka, $150,000. The Alberta government has contributed two grants: $500,000 from the Centennial Legacy program and $3.2 million from the Major Community Facilities Program (MCFP).

“The province loves partnerships and when they see four organizations like ours coming together for a common project like this, that’s very appealing.”

Cutforth said the timing of the provincial government’s support for the project couldn’t be better; it allows the society to get a start on construction while prices will be competitive, and although pledges from the business community are slow to come in due to the economic recession there are many local businesses and farm operations that have expressed their verbal support for the project — their financial support will come when the economy rebounds.

“All four partners are adamant that we have to have the money in place, that there will be no borrowing to construct this building,” Cutforth said.

The preliminary phase 1 concept for the 75,000-square-foot ag-events centre includes an indoor area with a dirt floor and 1,500 seats (expandable to 2,500), a banquet room, and lobby and concession areas. The outdoor components include stock pens, trailer parking and car parking. Phase 2 would include two indoor barns and more trailer and car parking. Depending on where the construction bids come in, it’s possible the second level would not be finished until after the centre is open and making money, Cutforth said. “We have to stay within the dollars we’ve got.”

The municipal partners will not contribute toward the annual operating costs of the ag-events centre. “It has to pay for itself,” Cutforth said.

RC Strategies conducted a survey of potential users in central Alberta and found there is a growing demand for an indoor agricultural centre in the Ponoka area to host livestock shows and equine events, clinics and riding lessons, banquets and club meetings, rodeos, auctions and auto and machinery shows.

“We had no idea the kind of demand that is out there,” Cutforth said. “It opened my eyes.”

While major rentals will drive the revenue side of the ag-event centre budget, rental charges must be within reach of the centre’s bread and butter clients — local organizations.

“This has to be affordable to our local users one way or another. These guys operate with limited funds.”

The ag-events centre is intended to provide new opportunities and services to the agricultural community.

“We’re not trying to compete with existing facilities,” Cutforth explained. “In a community this size, duplicating facilities doesn’t make any sense.”

It may be groups that now have few options about where to hold their events, will move to the ag-event centre. Cutforth said venues such as the Ponoka arena are not well suited to 4-H shows and would open up for different uses should 4-H move to the new centre.

Major annual anchor attractions will help to solidify Ponoka’s position as a tourism destination, building on the region’s rodeo and agricultural heritage. It’s possible agricultural service businesses would expand or come to Ponoka to benefit from the ag-events centre.

“We certainly think it will enhance existing businesses in turn, just by attracting visitors,” Cutforth said.

With its prominent location at the south entrance to Ponoka on Highway 2A, the ag-events centre also will complement nearby amenities and attractions such as the Ponoka Legion, Ponoka Stampede and Frank Mickey Campground, Ponoka County Fair and the planned Broncs Rodeo Academy.

By George Brown. Ponoka News.

 

September 28, 2009

Ponoka awarded grant for new agricultural centre

Red Deer Advocate.......

Construction will get underway in the spring on a new agricultural centre in Ponoka with the announcement of $3.2 million in funding from the provincial government.

The $8.5-million Ag-Event Centre is a joint project of the Town of Ponoka, Ponoka County, the Ponoka Agricultural Society and the Ponoka Stampede Association.

Located on the south side of the Town of Ponoka, the project will provide a multi-use building similar to the Agricentre at Westerner Park in Red Deer, along with two livestock barns with at least 200 stalls. The facility is expected to have seating initially for 1,500 and will be able to be used for conferences, horse shows, agricultural based trade shows and RV shows. There will be classrooms and a banquet room that could seat 500 upstairs.

Ponoka County Reeve Gordon Svenningsen said the new facility will assist 4-H Clubs and the livestock industry, giving them the facilities for shows and sales. He said it will also be used by the Ponoka High School’s rodeo and equine education program.

“So it will be a definite plus for the whole community,” Svenningsen said.

“It will bring a lot of people to town and when people come to town they spend money, so there are economic spinoffs.”

Sherry Gummow, president of the Ponoka Agricultural Society and fundraising chair for the facility, said they are ecstatic about the funding they’ve received from the provincial government and hope that now other corporate partners will come forward with funding. Encana has given $500,000 to the project, with other government grants and contributions from the four partners.

Gummow didn’t say exactly how much more money they’d like to raise, but she said with the funding from the government they will be able to put a spade into the ground in the spring, with hopes to complete the project by the fall of 2010.

Svenningsen said the community would have a hard time fundraising all the money that is needed for the project so he is excited about the provincial government funding they’ve received.

In 2008 the project originally looked like it would cost $11 million to build, but now with the current economic downturn the facility may be able to be built for around 30 per cent less and be more in the $8 million or $8.5 million range.

Engineering reports are being done on storm water and local officials will meet with Alberta Transportation this week to discuss access onto Hwy 2A. The project hasn’t yet gone to tender.

By Stacy O'Brien - Red Deer Advocate.

sobrien@reddeeradvocate.com

 

April 28, 2009

Money Flooding in for Ponoka Farm Facility

Alberta’s agricultural industry is much closer to having a new building in Ponoka for hosting shows, sales and events. Dennis Jones, branch manager for Ponoka, recently presented a $10,000 cheque to Ponoka Ag-Event Centre fundraising chair Sherry Gummow.

“Facilities that are available, suitable and affordable are in great demand from both the equine and cattle industries and we are thankful for Servus Credit Union’s support,” said Gummow.

Gummow said the centre is nearly halfway to its goal of $8.5 million and just starting on its local corporate support campaign. The society has also acquired a major provincial grant, which will be announced soon, Gummow said.

Rob Stryker, a vice-president with the credit union, said the project will bring people from all over Western Canada to the region and by doing so, will support local businesses. The Ponoka Ag-Event Centre Society hopes to break ground before the end of this year.

The project is a joint venture of the Town of Ponoka, Ponoka County, Ponoka Stampede Association and the Ponoka Agricultural Society.

Gummow said she hopes the project will be tendered out in the next 60 to 90 days.

A 2008 study prepared for the society identified a significant gap between existing agricultural event facilities available in Alberta and what is needed.

 

April 27, 2009

Servus Credit Union Contributes to Ponoka Ag-Event Centre

The agricultural industry throughout the province is that much closer to a new facility to host shows, sales and events in Central Alberta thanks to Servus Credit Union. Servus Credit Union's Ponoka Branch Manager, Dennis Jones, presented a $10,000 cheque to Ponoka Ag-Event Centre fundraising Chairperson, Sherry Gummow.

"Facilities that are available, suitable and affordable are in great demand from both the equine and cattle industries and we are thankful for Servus Credit Union's support," Sherry Gummow stated. "We are nearly halfway to our goal of $8.5 million and just starting on our local corporate support campaign. This facility will have a huge positive economic impact and will provide a wonderful venue for the youth who wish to hone horsemanship skills in our region."

"Servus Credit Union has had a long history of supporting community initiatives and this one is particularly important as it is a partnership between the municipalities, and two major agricultural organizations in Ponoka. It has the obvious benefit of bringing people from all over Western Canada to our region and to our local businesses and we are very pleased to support the project," says Rob Stryker, Servus Credit Union's Alberta South Vice President, Retail Banking.

The Ponoka Ag-Event Centre Society hopes to break ground before the end of this year. The project is a joint venture between the Town of Ponoka, County of Ponoka, Ponoka Stampede and the Ponoka Agriculture Society.
Servus Credit Union is a full service member-owned financial institution serving more than 400,000 members through a network of 100 locations in 63 Alberta communities. Through the November 1, 2008 amalgamation with Common Wealth Credit Union and Community Savings, Servus has $9.5 billion in assets, making it the largest credit union in Alberta and the third largest in Canada. The amalgamation created the first province-wide credit union in the country. The credit union provides a complete line of banking services, including registered accounts, financing, investments, insurance, commercial banking, 24-hour on-line and telephone banking. Servus Credit Union member-owner deposits including accrued interest are 100% guaranteed by the Credit Union Deposit Guarantee Corporation. Operations are managed through the Edmonton head office with regional offices in Lloydminster and Red Deer.

 

January 2009

Your Support is Essential

Through the support of individuals, corporations, foundations, governments and the community, the Ponoka Ag-Event Centre will become a reality and will meet the growing needs of the communities it serves.

 

January 2009

Campaign Goal for the Ag-event Centre

With $4,144,000 already secured, the Ponoka Agriculture Event Centre Society is embarking on a capital campaign to secure $4.4 M needed to build the Ag-Event Centre. Construction is slated to begin in Spring 2009.

 

January 2009

Features of the Ponoka Ag-Event Centre:

- Ideal location along Highway 2A & 39 Avenue.
- Indoor arena (240’ x 130’) with a dirt floor surface and seating for 1500 spectators.
- Arena will also be used as exhibition space.
- Warm-up area attached to main arena
- 3 barns and 200 box stalls
- Stock pens
- Specialized equipment to support equestrian and other livestock events, eg. Wash racks
- Foyer with concession facility, ticket office, & administration office
- Banquet area & multi-purpose community rooms. Rooms are available for education classrooms and special events
- 287 parking stalls
- Maintenance buildings

 

January 2009

Events To Be Held at the Ponoka Ag-Event Centre:

- Educational Workshops and Clinics
- Meetings & Banquets
- Concerts & Festivals
- Rodeos (professional & high school)
- Team Penning & Sorting Competitions
- Horse Shows & Sales
- Cattle Shows & Sales
- Cow Horse Competitions
- Cutting & Reining Competitions
- Barrel Racing Jackpots & Finals
- Dressage & Jumping Events
- Ranch Horse Competitions & Sales
- Carriage Driving Shows
- Bullaramas & Rough Stock Events
- 4-H & Other club events
- Agricultural Fairs
- Stock Dog Trials & Dog Agility
- Ag Equipment / Vehicle Trade Shows & Sales
- Other community driven events

 

January 2009

Ponoka Ag Event Centre Society

The Ponoka Agriculture Event Centre Society is a new and unique partnership between the Ponoka Agricultural Society, the Ponoka Stampede Association, Ponoka County and the Town of Ponoka. These four organizations believe in the advantages that a multipurpose agricultural recreation facility will provide the community in the form of recreational, entertainment and educational activities for the community, region and province. They decided to evaluate the implications of proceeding with the initiative. Early in 2008, RC Strategies prepared a Business Case for the planned facility. The case determined that building an Ag-Event Centre was viable and that the region has an ongoing need for expanded multipurpose agriculture related facilities. Based on the business case information, a facility concept design and a site analysis were completed. Estimated operating and capital budgets of the proposed facility were subsequently developed. A campaign study was requisitioned to determine the potential results of a fundraising campaign, and the results indicated that with adequate governmental support, the capital costs of the centre could be realized. As a result, in July 2008 the Ponoka Ag-Event Centre Society was established with the mandate to build and operate the Ponoka Ag-Event Centre. The originating partners anticipate their efforts will serve as a celebrated example of how community organization can collaborate in the planning and creation of a valuable shared asset.

 

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