Enlarge Image

Coun. Dan Vandal (left) and Southdale CC president Todd Thornton. (SUPPLIED PHOTO)

Southdale Community Centre has received further funding for ongoing improvements to help the facility serve the needs of its growing user base.

Coun. Dan Vandal (St. Boniface) recently announced an additional $500,000 in funding as part of the Community Recreational Improvements initiative contained in the 2013 budget.

The improvements include the addition of a new outdoor skating rink and increasing parking capacity at the Lakewood Boulevard-based centre, which also serves the communities of Island Lakes, Royalwood and Sage Creek.

The funding boost will also help reduce the debt incurred for improvements already made and bring the city’s contribution to the facility to $1.2 million, Vandal said.

"This additional funding will enable the entire community to enjoy the benefits of this facility and will help maintain the important role it plays within the community," Vandal said in a news release.

Gayle Farkas, the centre’s director of fundraising and communications, recently told The Lance the centre needs to raise a total of $3.2 million as its portion of a $9.4 million expansion project — funded by three levels of government — which was completed in February 2012 and included a hockey arena, recreational rink and changing rooms.

Organizers recently held a Bud, Spud and Steak fundraiser at Canad Inns Windsor Park and will continue to hold various fundraising events in the future to help offset the cost, Farkas said.

To learn more about the centre, visit www.southdale.ca.

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com