For immediate release
Prince George, BC - Volleyball lovers who like the feel of the fresh air on their face and the sand between their toes can look forward to three new full-sized courts this summer at Carrie Jane Gray Park. The new courts are the second beach volleyball courts in the city after the strictly recreational courts located at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.
The courts will be available to local athletes on a first-come, first-served basis and will only be unavailable to the public while tournaments are underway.
“Our government is proud to celebrate the opening of Prince George’s first-ever tournament standard beach volleyball courts,” said the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. “Investments in recreational infrastructure are essential to building healthy, vibrant communities. The new courts will provide athletes— whether professional or aspiring— with a chance to get outside and hone their skills.”
“It’s great to see Prince George serve up new tournament-standard courts in time for the BC Summer Games,” said Nathan Cullen, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “Located in the heart of the city, these courts will draw athletes and their families to the northern capital of B.C. I look forward to watching B.C.’s finest put these courts to the test.”
“Council is very pleased to have these new tournament-ready beach volleyball courts ready for action well in time for the BC Summer Games in July,” said Lyn Hall, Mayor of Prince George. “We are pleased that we are already seeing important legacies from the BC Games in Prince George and that residents will be able to benefit and begin using the facility right away.”
"This facility is extremely exciting for Prince George," said Colin Carson, CEO of Tourism Prince George, who is also a former varsity volleyball player at Thompson Rivers University and played professionally overseas. “Sport hosting is a huge economic drive in our community and these courts will allow us to be aggressive in bidding on more events. The Prince George Youth Volleyball Club has a very strong indoor program, which sees multiple players graduate and continue to varsity programs each year. Now, there's an excellent opportunity to develop beach players and give local athletes the opportunity to play volleyball year-round."
The new facility contains three courts built to provincial and regional tournament standards. The courts measure 18 by 9 metres to accommodate recreational use, which is slightly larger than standard regulation “indoor” courts (16 by 8 metres). This design feature was installed to allow the courts to allow recreational play in addition to competitive play.
As the name implies, construction of beach volleyball courts requires sand. Lots of sand. In fact, nearly 562 metric tonnes of sand was used in the operation. The sand is tan coloured, granite-based, premium, double-washed coarse and fine sand - the standard used in beach volleyball tournaments - sourced in Redwater, Alberta.
Many key trades were involved in the design and development of the courts, including the construction manager, Marmot Builders of Prince George.
The project was completed on time and on budget. The total cost was $250,000, of which S237,500 came from the Community Works Fund from the Union of BC Municipalities. The remaining $12,500.00 of the funding came from the City’s reserves.
Background
In 2021 the City of Prince George undertook several important infrastructure projects with the assistance of the Province and UBCM’s Community Works Fund. In total $2,749,730 of this fund was used for 19 different projects.
Roads and sidewalks
1. Sidewalk Rehabilitation $630,000
2. Pedestrian/Traffic Safety Improvements $8,211
Parks
3. Trails Rehabilitation $209,751
4. Playground Replacement Program $161,088
5. Ron Brent Park Redevelopment $64,757
6. Park Washroom Refurbishment $47,776
7. Carry Jane Gray Park Volleyball Courts $237,500
8. Neighbourhood Park Development $15,769
9. Ball & Sport Field Renewal $133,000
10. Agriplex Upgrades $200,000
11. Off Leash Areas $12,651
Utilities and drainage
12. Catch Basin Replacement Program $56,595
13. Varsity Creek Erosion Mitigation $176,351
14. Shane Lake Dam Renewal $343,507
15. Storm Drain Pond Outfall Renew $221,378
16. Drainage Improvements $29,168
17. Pre-paving Storm Water Infrastructure $48,719
Facilities
18. Playhouse Building Envelope Repair $140,000
19. Playhouse Rigging Replacement $13,509
These projects represent significant improvements in community infrastructure that would otherwise be funded through property taxes.
The Community Works Fund is administered by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) to allocate federal Gas Tax Funding based on population to each local government in British Columbia. The funds are allocated within an agreement framework that sets out specific project category and requirements.
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