CARROT RIVER — The Carrot River School Fundraising Committee has announced that they now have $1,283,500 total pledged out of the $1.5 million needed for enhancements to the new school.
The announcement came at the halftime of the SHSAA football semi-finals on Nov. 6 in Carrot River, as the Carrot River Wildcats faced off against the North Valley High Eagles, winning 41 to 22.
Originally the Carrot River School Fundraising Committee set out to raise $2 million by the end of June 2021, which was planned to fund both indoor and outdoor amenities. By July, the committee had raised $1.165 million. In October, the committee announced that it had updated goal to $1.5 million to reflect a more accurate costing of the project.
The donations announced Nov. 6 include a pledge of $20,000 from the Diamond North Credit Union, $10,000 from MTN Disposals, and a pledge of $5,000 from TSN Law in Nipawin.
There was also a pledge by Pasquia Trust, on behalf of the Leon and Ollie Shurma-Mazurek Endowment, of at least $5,000 per year over the next 20 years to support the overhead costs of the expanded footprint of the new school in Carrot River, for a total pledge of at least $100,000.
While the overhead costs have not been finalized, Kevin Trew, North East School Division (NESD) trustee and fundraising committee chair, said the NESD, the two municipalities and the Pasquia Trust are confident that an agreement will be struck in the coming months to ensure that all parties are fully satisfied.
“We’re really excited because these corporate contributions will help us add on to the enhancements,” Trew said. “It’s a good nest egg to get started and we’re really excited to go forward with more fundraising in the near future.”
Trew added that the committee will meet in the coming weeks to discuss new strategies for fundraising the final funds needed.
The school is expected to be ready for students by September 2023, with the outdoor enhancements built as funding is available.
Outdoor enhancements include playground equipment for primary and middle years, weight room, paved bus drop off/pick up zone, Kindergarten outdoor fenced-in learning play space, outdoor bleacher, upgrades to existing track, soccer pitches and tennis, basketball and pickleball outdoor court, and more.
Roman Charko, Carrot River’s mayor, said the facility is expected to be nothing but the best.
“I want to thank the corporate donations, large or small, they all mean something,” Charko said.
RM of Moose Range Reeve Wilfred Wolowski, who is also a Carrot River High alum, said the outdoor amenity he’s looking forward to the most is the football field.
“It’s a big crowd drawer, everybody’s wrapped up in it, it’s a great sport for everyone to watch,” Wolowski said.
