Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Friday, May 18, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Children outside Mildred Hall school on May 9 were dancing on what should soon be a downtown greenspace during a groundbreaking ceremony for Jiewa park.

What is now a gravelly patch of land was once a field of blueberries, according to park committee chair Laurie Sarkadi.

The committee plans to put in new basketball courts and try to return the land to what it once looked like, with indigenous plants and trees.

However, with just $310,000 in the bank, there's more fundraising to be done before the committee's vision is realized.

Yellowknife Education District No. 1 put up $50,000 and $260,000 came from the federal government. The project cost was initially pegged at $750,000, but it could cost closer to $1.7 million, according to an estimate by Guy Architects project managers.

"Contractors are so busy and there aren't many around, so they can afford to charge a premium," said Sarkadi. "We're sort of like the Deh Cho bridge."

The committee has enough money to start the first phase of the project with Camco Construction. This phase will involve making new basketball courts, and moving the old ones to prepare for a lawn in the centre.

Yellowknife Education District No. 1 school board had tried to hire a fundraiser earlier this year to get the rest of the funds, but had only one applicant who decided not to take the job.

Sarkadi is hoping that with the construction under way, some companies might come forward with donations in kind to help out.

"We're really, really hopeful that when we submit these different contracts, people will come forward and say, 'we can do that.'"

The board is also looking for major financial donations. Sarkadi noted that any donations would be recognized both on site and on the park's Web Site that should be launched next week.

"Who can't get behind having a greenspace downtown?" said Sarkadi, who is confident they should be able to find enough funds to finish the project. "We'd like in done in two years, so we need some serious fundraising."

Jiewa means blueberry in Weledeh, Yellowknife's Dene dialect. The board consulted with Yellowknife's Dene to find out the history of the area.

The greenspace will back onto the natural forest that connects with the Frame Lake trail. It will be used for cultural activities with the school, and could be used for civic activities such as Caribou Carnival.

"Every major city has a downtown park," said Sarkadi. "This will be ours."