Politicians and other partners armed with shovels officially kicked off the construction of a new arena in Quesnel yesterday (April 4th)afternoon.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the future site of the West Fraser Centre on Barlow Avenue.
Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson and CRD Director Jerry Bruce, co-chairs of the North Cariboo Joint Planning Committee, both acknowledged the work of previous politicians in helping to make this project a reality.
Former CRD Director Mary Glassford and former Mayor Mary Sjostrom would both be included in that group.
We asked former Mayor Sjostrom to put into perspective how long this project took.
She says she can remember a meeting 16 years ago with late CRD Director Andy Motherwell trying to decide whether or not to band aid the old arena or try to build a new one.
Sjostrom says there were definitely peaks and valleys but she says it was all worth it.
Also on hand for the ground-breaking were CRD Director Ted Armstrong, who read a letter from MLA Coralee Oakes who is down in Victoria, as well as Darcy Henderson of West Fraser and Janine North with the Northern Development Initiative Trust.
The project is slated for completion in June or July of next year.
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