Pense hits $300,000 fundraising goal for rink upgrades

Despite a failed Kraft Hockeyville bid, improvements to the hockey arena in Pense are on track to begin this spring.

The town west of Regina announced Monday it had hit its $300,000 fundraising target thanks to a $30,000 donation from the Richardson Foundation.

Organizers initially thought replacing the rink’s artificial ice piping system would take 10 years, but the town of 550 people managed to raise the necessary funds in 18 months.

“I’m at a loss of words, to be honest with you,” rink board co-chair Graeme Crosbie said. “When we got that quote of $300,000 a few years ago, we were scratching our heads thinking of ways we could come up with that money.”

Pense received $25,000 for being a finalist in the Kraft Hockeyville contest. Even though it wasn’t the $250,000 grand prize the town was seeking, the exposure helped push the campaign over the top.

Crosbie said tens of thousands in donations poured in from individuals and businesses after the contest, which left the board with a small slush fund for any cost overruns.

“I do think it speaks to how we attacked the competition, how we worked so diligently to get our message out there,” Crosbie said. “I think it shows how far-reaching that campaign was and we heard it from the Kraft people themselves that it was the best, if not one of the best campaigns, they’ve seen run in 13 years.”

Work is to begin at the end of the hockey season and is expected to be complete before the fall.