The Alberta government has pledged $3.2 million for development of a new venue for livestock- and ag-related events in the province’s central region.
The funding, announced in a release Saturday, will flow through the province’s lottery-funded Major Community Facilities Program (MCFP) to the Ponoka Agriculture Events Centre Society.
The society is a joint venture of the Ponoka Agricultural Society, Ponoka Stampede and Exhibition Association, Ponoka County and the Town of Ponoka, about 60 km north of Red Deer.
The province’s funds are meant to assist with the development of the Ponoka Ag-Events Centre, including construction of an indoor arena, banquet area, concession, stocking pens, indoor barns, administrative areas and parking.
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“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,” Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Ray Prins said in the province’s release.
The MCFP, launched in 2007-08 and now concluded, was a two-year $280 million program offering matching funds for municipalities, not-for-profit organizations and Aboriginal communities to plan, upgrade or build major public-use facilities.
The matching funds requirement meant “a great deal of community support was required to make the grant possible,” the province noted.
