City to wait on stampede grounds decision
Meadow Lake’s mayor and council are holding their horses when it comes to deciding the future of the city’s stampede grounds and grandstands.
City Hall must make the ultimate decision on the future of the facility, which has been closed since November of 2017. The city could move to replace it or support its move to a different location outside the city limits, but council unanimously decided to defer the decision until meetings can be held with partners like the R.M. of Meadow Lake and Flying Dust First Nation, as well as a local group advocating to save the long-standing piece of city property.
A community meeting on the matter was held April 18, where council presented on the cost of replacing the structure, which was quoted between $805,000 and $1.83 million. Immediately following the meeting, a ‘Save Our Seats’ committee was formed, including residents from the city and surrounding areas. The committee members have been busy fundraising for a new set of grandstands and ultimately hope the facility stays put, according to City Manager Diana Burton.
“I asked the question of the volunteer committee, and their assumption out of the open house was that council was saying yes to keeping it in that location,” Burton said. “What I tried to stress was that council hadn’t made any decision at the open house [or since].”