YORKTON -- Ground will break on Yorkton’s new grandstand as early as Feb. 8, following months of preparation.
The current facility was built in 1958 and after years of serving the community the time for an upgrade has finally come.
"The existing roof structure of the grandstand is going to remain and everything, all other elements of the grandstand will be replaced," said Lori Walsh, past president of the Yorkton Exhibition Association, at a press conference on Feb. 4.
Walsh said one of the objectives of the project was to keep it as local as possible, so the association selected a local contractor employing local people, and all goods will be procured locally as well.
N.L. Construction is looking to begin demolition as early as next week and will be leaving the roof untouched as a piece of history
"It will be a control-phased demo, and then come back to gether the same way," said Dustin Nehring, CEO of N.L. Construction.
The facility will be built on the same footprint as the current one, except with a more open concept.
Come June the new “Legacy Co-op Grandstand” should be ready to welcome back the community. First up on the events calendar would be the annual Summer Fair.
"We hope that we may be able to do something in some capacity, even though it may not be the Summer Fair in its, as we know it in the past," added Walsh.
Last year the Yorkton Exhibition’s events had to be cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic, and was the first time in over 130 years it had to do so.
In total, the project is set to cost $600,000, and the association is sitting at approximately $450,000 in total commitments.
"So we're about 3/4 of the way there which is phenomenal in the short period of time that we've been chasing this new grandstand, but in saying that we've got a ways to go," explained Walsh.
Walsh says the association is going to continue to apply for sponsorships and grants as well as maintain their fundraisers going forward as construction presses on.
The grandstand has been a pillar in Yorkton for over a hundred years, and the association said it is looking forward to many more with the new facility.
