Year-round educational facility going up at Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park

The Alberta government is spending $43 million to enhance, fix up and protect Alberta’s provincial parks while creating almost 300 jobs across the province.

Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is getting a piece of the pie with a new building that will be used year-round. 

Sarah Parker, executive director of the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation says “We are incredibly grateful to the Alberta government for this investment of a multi-seasonal educational facility to help young Albertans experience the landscape, learn the history, and value the Indigenous communities who, for generations, have long had a connection to the grassland ecosystems and wetlands of this area. Our goal is that each child will leave with a passionate desire to protect and preserve Alberta’s grasslands.”

Parker says "The cost, I believe is around $500,000."

"It's located just by the public parking lot. So if people go by and see the construction underway, that is what's it for, a new education facility."

She says the space will be used for both kids and adults. 

"It'll be a good sized building. It should fit between 50 and 75 adults. And it will have a fully accessible washroom for those with mobility issues. A small kichenette for us, which is really important for us for washing kids hands after pond program."

"It'll have a gorgeous set of windows that face west. And we're hopefully going to put in some cubbies for kids to put their boots in the winter and hang their jackets when it's lunch time. It's going to change the game for us in what we're able to offer kids and adults in terms of programming."

Parker says the province is paying for the building, but it's up to them to finish off the inside of the space. 

"They are responsible for building the building and then our foundation is responsible for fundraising for the inside development of the building, other than the washrooms. So things like screens, projectors, chairs, tables for kids and the cubbies we're hoping to get."

Construction on the building is expected to be completed by the end of 2020 and Parker is hopeful it'll be up and running to the public next spring. 

The park is free to visit and is open everyday from sunrise to sunset.

You can find more information about the park here.

Also included in the provincial funding will be upgrades in the Kananaskis area, with that region receiving just over $15-million.