Huntsville will play host to the 2018 Ontario Men’s Curling Championship. That news came on the heels of a major funding announcement from the Ontario Trillium Foundation awarding Huntsville with $150,000 for a new ice plant.
Rick Meraska, Vice Chair of the Ontario Curling Association, said it was the Summit Center facility as well as past performances of the Town of Huntsville in hosting other major sports events, that led to the decision to award the Tankard to Huntsville.
It (the town) has a great core of volunteers that put together the application. We sat down with the town two years ago and realized they were serious about wanting to have this event, and we liked the way the curling club worked with the Town. To house an event like this, the facility has to be top notch. The curlers want the best and we want to send them to the National level.
Vice Chair of the Ontario Curling Association, Rick Meraska
The Huntsville Curling club will also be the site next year of the under 21 mixed doubles’ championship.
The 2018 Ontario Men’s Curling Championship announcement was the icing on the cake as club members were already excited about the news of the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant for $150,000.
The money will go to buy a new ice plant which will be transferable if and when the Curling Club moves to a new location in the future.
“The impact of this grant cannot be underestimated,” said John Furner, President of the Huntsville Curling Club. “This grant will allow for the installation of a full new ice plant, instead of the piecemeal repairs that the Club has done since its inception.”
The Club is currently fundraising and working with the Town and other partners to begin the process to build a multi-sports complex, including a new Curling facility.
News that they will now host the 2018 Ontario Men’s championship means a new opportunity to put dollars into that project.
Meraska told those gathered that the Ontario Men’s curling championship has an economic impact of three quarters of a million dollars for businesses in the community.
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