Total Project Cost, including for contingencies, has been budgeted at $775,000.

From the 2015 to 2019 casinos of the League, we requested $25,000 be put aside for the Playground and Park Redevelopment and we had $5,000 from Area Council On; the project began with $80,000 of seed money. Further funding would come from applying for the City of Edmonton from their Neighbourhood Park Development Program (NPDP) for $250,000 and to the province for Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) for $125,000.

 

Additional funding will be obtained through fundraising – if you have ideas/suggestions for this please pass them on to us – and through the applying for further grants that are available for such projects. Again, if you are aware of such opportunities, please pass them on to us. Some employers ie ATCO, CN and EPCOR to encourage community involvement from their employees and retirees offer donations to a community development.

 

At the 2022 Annual General Meeting of the League, community league members endorsed the Concept Plan for the playground and the surrounding park to the south, by voting to add an additional $25,000 of casino funding to the redevelopment project.

 

Very significant donations to the Playground and Park Redevelopment have been provided by April Glass & Mirror Ltd., Elsafadi Bros. Mediterranean Market, Assiff Law Firm and Dolar Drugs in Wellington. The Allard Foundation has donated $5,000 and the Edmonton Community Foundation has donated $20,000!

 

May 15, 2023 a CFEP application for $125,000 was submitted for this provincial government funding.

June 30, 2023 the City of Edmonton approved our NPDP funding of $250,000! Along with the other funding raised we were over half way to reaching our funding goal.

Beginning in 2022, the members, and their supporters, of the Kensington School Parent Association, have worked hard to raise funding for a playground to be built adjacent to Kensington School. Likewise on May 15, 2023 the Parent Association applied for the CFEP funding.

If the Parent Association, would be fortunate to receive the CFEP funds, they would be in a position to have a 2024 construction of the school playground.

 

Although the Kensington Community League Playground and Park Redevelopment Committee was over half way to reaching our funding goal, realistically we would not be in a position to have a 2024 construction of the league playground.

 

In consultation with CFEP officials Kensington Community League withdrew our May 15, 2023 application and submitted a letter of support for the Parent Association’s application for the CFEP funding. The CFEP representative was very appreciative of this cooperativeness.

 

It was also agreed to instead of the Redevelopment Committee and League reapplying for the $50,000 Alberta Blue Cross Built Together grant a letter of support be provided to the Parent Association.

December 13, 2023 it was learned the Parents Association had been successful in receiving the CFEP grant and January 9, 2024 they announced they had also been fortunate to have received the Built Together grant. With this funding in place the Parent Association continued to working towards there being construction of an accessible playground beside Kensington School in the fall of 2024.

 

Area Council One provided each of its member communities of Athlone/Dunvegan, Calder, Kensington, Lauderdale, Rosslyn and Wellington Park with $10,000 donations to assist the leagues with capital projects. The Kensington Community League Executive decided to utilize these funds to further support the redevelopment of the Kensington playground and park.

 

May 15, 2024 the CFEP grant for $125,000 was submitted for this provincial government funding. CFEP officials informed us we would need to have the remaining funding in place by mid August for further consideration of the CFEP funding.

While other grant and donation requests are still out standing (It was also explained to CFEP some grants require the funds to be spent in the year received, so we are unable to apply for them until in the construction year.) it was not realistic for all of these funds to come by mid August. CFEP will be advised of our withdrawal of the May 15, 2024 application as not enough funding is in place.

 

From past capital projects of the league, a fund had been created for the purpose of assisting with the next major capital project of the League. At the League’s August Executive Meeting it was voted to contribute the entire $64,000 in the fund to the Playground Redevelopment Project!

With this additional funding in place, on September 15, 2024 the provincial government’s Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) grant application for $125,000 will

be submitted.

In working with the City of Edmonton it is a requirement that all of our funding will need to be in place by December 31, 2024 for there to be construction in the Spring of 2025. This requirement also applies to the selecting of any equipment for the playground.          Our dedicated committee members and their families have been visiting playgrounds and parks, so when our fundraising goal of $775,000 has been attained they will have lots of ideas for the kinds of equipment that can be installed. Such plans would be presented at Open Houses during the New Year in the process of arriving at a final design.

Funders like to see that community members are helping to work towards a funding goal.  It emphasizes the community supports the redevelopment project. 

Donations to the Park Redevelopment Project are eligible for charitable donation tax receipts. The minimum is $20. Cheques need to be payable to the City of Edmonton noting a contribution to the Kensington Park Project. Thank you to the community members to have already donated these funds.

When you shop at The Grocery People, at 11628 142 Street, ask the cashier to record you for the Community League Rebate Program for Kensington to receive 5% donation of your purchase. Please make family and friends aware of the program so they can help too!

Please support the fundraising efforts of the Park Redevelopment Committee.

All funding that is in place helps with the grant applications that have been submitted to funders and with the power of matching grants these funds are going to multiply.

If you have an idea for a fundraiser, please contact info@kensingtoncl.ca.