There is a new hill in town — or rather, there will be one in the near future in Grand Falls-Windsor.
That is after the town approved entering into a partnership with the Rotary Club of Exploits to develop a sliding hill on the site of the Exploits Nordic Ski Club.
The decision came at the Oct. 13 meeting of council.
“It seems like a logical partnership,” Coun. Amy Coady-Davis said of the decision to work with the Rotary Club.
The partnership comes after the Rotary Club approached the town about forging a partnership to implement the plan.
Wanting to add to the ski club isn’t anything new for the council in Grand Falls-Windsor.
“We’ve been looking at a sliding hill for quite some time,” said Coady-Davis. “We see how children in the area and in the surrounding area enjoy sliding at Church Road Park or at hospital hill.
“So, we knew there was a need and we wanted to give them a little more of a thrill.”
In late September, Dr. Greg Woolfrey, president of the Rotary Club of Exploits, made a presentation about the sliding hill to the committee of the whole at Grand Falls-Windsor council.
The club says it could help with securing funding for the project, as it has done with other infrastructure projects in the past.
“Right now, we’re at the stage where it is going to happen,” said Woolfrey.
The Rotary Club sees it as a natural Phase 1 into a larger alpine facility on the site. The later phases of the project would include upgrades to the hill to accommodate snowboarders and alpine skiers, and possibly a chairlift being installed.
“We’ve been looking at a sliding hill for quite some time. We see how children in the area and in the surrounding area enjoy sliding at Church Road Park or at hospital hill."
To help with the planning, officials from Marble Mountain in Steady Brook toured the grounds of the ski club and made recommendations on where best to put the hill.
The hill would be a little step toward the goal of bringing alpine skiing back to central Newfoundland.
“It is really exciting,” said Woolfrey. “It is a great project and it is a natural first step.
“It is a win-win for everybody.”
While the town didn’t commit to developing the infrastructure needed to put in an alpine ski hill, it noted in its decision it is something that could be explored in the future.
There is no timetable for when the hill will be ready for its first toboggan ride. The hope is it can be ready for this winter, but that isn’t certain.
With the regulations around the COVID-19 pandemic still limiting recreational opportunities in the province, the hope is that the sliding hill would provide a needed break.
”It is something we hope to have ready,” said Coady-Davis.
The sliding hill will add another option for winter recreation in the community. Hundreds of people from around the region come to the nordic ski club to take in its trails and get active during the winter.
The hope is that this will bring even more people to the site, while also giving regular users another avenue for activity.
“If we get a great sliding hill, it would be an attraction,” said Coady-Davis.
Nicholas Mercer is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering central Newfoundland for SaltWire Network
