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PA mayor hopes for landslide Water Park vote

Jul 2, 2014 | 5:15 PM

Prince Albert has climbed the ladder and all it has to do now is slide down.

Prince Albert’s Kinsmen Water Park has made it as one of the top 10 finalists to win $100,000 from TSN’s Kraft Celebration Tour (KCT). This tour awards money to communities who demonstrate a sense of pride, perseverance and love of sport.

The money is meant to build better places to play, and in Prince Albert’s case that’s the Kinsmen Water Park.

Earlier this year the four water slides were shut down due to safety issues. To repair them would come at an estimated $260,000.

As a finalist, the water park will receive $25,000, but if Canada votes it number one it will receive an extra $75,000. That will go a long way, according to Mayor Greg Dionne.

“I’m just excited. What a great opportunity. First of all it gets us in the national front, for the wrong reason, but it still shows off the city and we’re working on hard to get the water slides rebuilt,” Dionne said less than 24 hours after Prince Albert was named in the top 10.

“For lots of our young people, it’s their holiday, it’s their lake, it’s their beach, their vacation and that’s why it means so much to our community.”
That’s why he said it was the hardest decision to close the slides for the season.

“We are meeting with other players in the community clubs to see if we can raise the balance of the $200,000—the City is willing to put up $60[000] and now we’re down to $175[000], and hopefully we’ll be selected,” he said.

The next step is for Dionne and the community is to try and get as many votes as possible.

“I would tell you to vote to the Kinsmen Water Park because of the kid’s vacation.”

Around 17,300,000 votes were cast in the first phase of the competition. The vote to see who will win the full $100,000 runs July 21 to 22.

TSN will do a tour across Canada with Prince Albert getting a visit Aug.20.

To vote for Prince Albert’s Kinsmen Water Park visit TSN’s KCT website.

sstone@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahstone84