North Okanagan residents can help a popular recreational area in Armstrong get a much-needed makeover.
The tennis court play area at Len Wood Middle School is in serious need of a face-lift and a small committee, headed up by longtime Pleasant Valley Secondary School teacher and tennis coach George Kocsis, hopes to get some help.
They’ve entered a contest called the Kraft/Heinz Project Play 2016, sponsored by the food giants.
“The playing surface at the Len Wood Middle School venue is becoming unsafe to play on because of cracking and heaving of the asphalt,” said Kocsis.
“Most of the cracks have grass growing out of them now.”
The top prize in the contest is a $250,000 facility upgrade, with three additional prizes of $20,000.
The deadline for contest nominations is June 12.
The play area at Len Wood Middle School is not only used for tennis, but it is also used on a daily basis for activities such as road hockey, basketball, dodgeball, lacrosse, pickleball and a variety of other minor games.
The cost to resurface the play area with asphalt will be about 50,000.
Both the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District and Armstrong-Spallumcheen Parks and Recreation Commission have committed $10,000 towards the project.
“Our aim is to provide a safer play area for Len Wood Middle School and Pleasant Valley Secondary School students, while providing a new facility face-lift for community members and visitors for years to come,” said Kocsis.
The top four nominations will be announced July 8.
Voting will begin following the final selections to determine the grand prize winner.
Community members can nominate the Len Wood Middle School project by going online to kraftheinzprojectplay.com.