A new place for tumbling and bouldering is coming to Whitehorse.
The new facility on Goddard Way will house gymnastics and a climbing gym, given these sports have similar height requirements, Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn announced in a ministerial statement on April 21.
“I know that today I will hear support for this new facility coming to Whitehorse, as all parties in this assembly supported the construction of a new facility in the last election,” Mostyn said in the Yukon Legislature.
Mostyn said the Polarettes Gymnastics Club has over 1,000 active members, along with a wait-list of children.
The club has grown too big for its facility at Vanier Catholic Secondary School, he said, adding that a new facility will bring in more people and increase programming.
Similarly, he said Climb Yukon Association has outgrown its bouldering walls at Porter Creek Secondary School.
“The new facility will provide increased programming and regular public access to a modern indoor climbing facility,” Mostyn said.
The gymnastics and climbing areas will be separate spaces in a common, energy-efficient building, he said.
Mostyn said the Yukon government is working with Polarettes Gymnastics Club and Climb Yukon Association on design plans. The tender will open this summer, he said, with the building expected to be ready by the end of March 2024.
“This facility will also strengthen our bid to host the 2027 Canada Winter Games,” Mostyn said.
The department confirmed in an email the total cost for the facility is running between $19 million to $22 million, as laid out in the government’s five-year capital plan.
The project has not yet gone to tender, which is anticipated to be posted in May, communications analyst Echo Ross said in email correspondence.
READ MORE: Whitehorse advances Canada Winter Games bid
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com