Mayor Bill Mauro maintains only one avenue of funding for the proposed indoor turf facility at Chapples Park is off the table.
In a letter that was only made public this week, Queen’s Park had told the city that the turf facility portion of the application for $22 million was turned down through the Invest in Canada Infrastructure Program.
However Mauro adds there was a project involving the waterfront that was approved for federal funds.
The province did not provide a reason for the rejection, according to city officials.
Mauro stresses that this decision only affects one funding option and that others could emerge as the process continues.
Council has agreed to use $7 million in federal gas tax money, $1.6 million in Municipal Accommodation Tax revenue and a $16.6 million debenture for the project.
Back on March 8th council stopped the project in its tracks by voting 7-5 against awarding the tender to the Tom Jones Corporation.
The search for a new facility was spurred on following the collapse of the Sportsdome on the CLE Grounds in a November 2016 snowstorm.
It threw the soccer community into chaos since both men’s and women’s clubs were forced to cancel their seasons because there was no place to play.
