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100 Mile Waterpark Society ready to make waves with new park

$220,000 in funds raised for new water park

The 100 Mile Waterpark Society is ready to make a splash after raising their goal of $220,000 in funds. The first step will be a lift station in Centennial Park with the South Cariboo Joint Committee (SCJC) giving it the green light. The endeavour has Jamie Hughes, president of the society, in good spirits, after spending roughly seven years funding for the project.

“It is worth it because I want to stay here and I have children,” she said.

“I love 100 Mile but it needs to be more family-friendly and that was the driving force behind it. I think I’d just like to see more activities geared towards younger families. We want to attract more professionals here too.”

Expected to have the ground broken sometime in May, weather permitting, Hughes does not anticipate any challenges for the project getting underway.

“I don’t expect any troubles,” said Hughes. “The group [RecTec Industries] we have been working with has built numerous water parks across the province so I really don’t see it being an issue.”

The only concern she has is the interior health permit but isn’t all that concerned because “it’s not really in our hands.”

“Once we’re happy with the design and then hand over the funds to the district, then the district will be the ones working with the engineers and working with the company and see it completed,” she said. “Our big job was raising the money.”

One way they are fundraising for the project is enabling people who donate $20 to win a door prize for WestJet’s Gift of Flight, which enables the winner a free round trip to anywhere the airline flies.

More than $100,000 of the funding came through the province, with the help of MLA Donna Barnett.

Interested parties can donate to building the water park on a gofundme page Hughes set up on Feb. 22, 2016, which has collected $1,135 as of Oct. 31.

“Our small community desperately needs this park for many reasons,” reads the page summary, written by Hughes.

“We need it for our families here now to enjoy during the summer months, we need it to draw more tourists to the core of our community and we need it to draw more young families our community to help revitalize it!”

Other fundraisers included movie nights in the park, bake sales and donations from local contractors and businesses.

Speaking of donations, Hughes doesn’t believe any of this would have been possible without the community partaking in the fundraisers and making donations over the campaign’s seven years.

“This would not be possible if everybody didn’t keep believing in the project,” said Hughes.”This is going to be the communities water park.”

With files from Carole Rooney.