|
City supports summer games bid |
|
|
|
Written by Lethbridge Herald
|
|
Tuesday, 06 October 2009 |
A local bid to host the 2012 Alberta Summer Games got a $250,000 boost from city council this week.
Council members approved the municipal contribution toward the proposed $1.3-million budget for the event following a presentation Monday by Kevin Kvame, chairman of the Lethbridge Sports Council.
If the local bid is successful, the majority of the city’s support would be in-kind gifts in the form of transportation and facility rentals. If the games were to generate a net surplus, one-third of it, up to a maximum of $250,000, would be returned to the city.
With the city funding commitment now secured, the sports council’s bid committee will put the final touches on the bid which must be submitted to the province by Oct. 16.
Kvame said he’s confident of Lethbridge’s chances of securing the games, especially with the new sports stadium at the University of Lethbridge serving as a centrepiece of the bid.
“We’re a city that’s the right size for the games. We have the right facilities,” he said.
Kvame noted recent summer games in Medicine Hat and Red Deer netted surpluses of $350,000 and $534,000 respectively.
If the local bid is short-listed, a site selection committee would likely tour the city in December. A decision on the site of the 2012 games is expected in January.
|
