Lillooet community wins $100,000 to build new playground

Jul 11, 2016 | 10:58 AM

LILLOOET, B.C. — Beating out 500 other contenders from across B.C., Lillooet has won a $100,000 play space revitalization in the BCAA Play Here Contest. 

The winning space was named a finalist in the contest last month, up against some much larger communities. 

Toby Mueller with the playground committee says surrounding communities rallied around the small town of Lillooet – voting for its playground dreams to become a reality. 

“We got a lot of support regionally from people in Kamloops, Clinton, Cache Creek, Ashcroft, Pemberton. People who come through our town really got behind us, so you just feel the love,” said Mueller. 

Mueller says the funds won’t be enough to complete the park, which will be located in Lillooet’s downtown core, but it will certainly help to begin the first stages. 

“We’ve been working on this since 2013, and this is the first big grant that we have received. It’s really going to start us off with a bang.”

She says the next step is to hold a public open-house to come up with a design.

“The whole thing has been a real boost for our community. To receive such a significant gift, [it] is really exciting,”

RELATED VIDEO: Lillooet among finalists for BCAA Play Here contest