Westerner Park starting strong on next 125 years

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Projects in 2016 included an $800,000 roof repair on the Enmax Centrium, a new dressing room for the RDC Queens, upgrades to the H-Vac system in the Stockmen’s Pavilion, streetlight upgrades in the main parking lot and $120,000 on new event chairs.

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“If you’ve ever sat in a worn-out banquet chair, you’d appreciate having a new chair to sit on,” Antifaiff jokes.

Coming up, there will be further roof repairs for the Altiplex, more lighting upgrades in the Agricentre East, and the first portion of a multi-phase project to increase accessibility to the Westerner’s many venues. Commemorative projects were also undertaken to mark Westerner Park’s 125th anniversary in 2016.

“One is the mural that was competed and now is in the foyer of the Centrium. It’s a beautiful mural. We also created a new space in the Centrium for events called Suite 125 — it allows larger groups to actually gather and use the Centrium for a bit of a banquet prior to an event, be it a concert or a hockey game,” he says.

Antifaiff adds the introduction of the Urban Farm Festival this year will be a huge boon for urban and rural folk alike in connecting them on a common platform – food.

“We believe the trade show on August 20 is going to be a great kickoff to that education component of our Ag programming. We’re also very pleased to introduce some new Ag events at Westerner Days this year,” he says.

Antifaiff adds nine times out of 10, users are walking away extremely satisfied, particularly those utilizing Harvest Gardens and other venues for weddings and large family functions.

“We need to think about and plan for growth at the park. What we need to do to is create smart decisions now that set the foundation for the next 125 years of what Westerner Park will be,” he says. “Westerner Park is an extremely important asset for the community and we need to do our job to look after it, and to leave it in a better place than we found it for the folks that will follow in our footsteps. That’s always a clear message and I keep that in mind in all of our decision-making.”