‘Conexus Riverview Chalet’ project kicks off with $1M donation to Optimist Hill

Saskatoon’s Optimist Hill received some help from Conexus on Thursday morning for its next phase of fundraising.

A donation of $1 million was given to kickstart a goal of “close to” $5 million for a new two-storey, 15,000-square-foot facility, which will be dubbed the “Conexus Riverview Chalet.”

The facility will replace a temporary chalet, built for Optimist Hill’s opening in 2018.

Project Chair Rob Letts said the temporary chalet has “done the best it can” in its first year of operation. He gave an overview on what visitors should expect for the future facility.

“The main floor will just be like when you go to a regular ski hill area. You can go in (and) get all of your rentals. There will be lockers and washrooms and a meeting room,” Letts said.

“The second floor up top will be to give a better overview of the hill. So people can actually sit there and watch people coming down the hill, which will be fabulous.”

There isn’t a set date for construction at this point; it will be dependent on funding, Letts said.

He said organizers are still working to finish the funding for Phase One, which is building the $3.2 million 70-foot hill with groomed lanes for snow-tubing, skiing and snowboarding.

“We’re really doing the best we can, and the public just kind of needs to be patient and just bear with us. We’re working on it,” Letts said.

Letts said the hill had 29 “cold days” in its first year of operation, and more than 6,500 visitors used the park in that time frame.

Optimist Hill officials are going to “wait and see” when it comes to choosing a possible restaurant that is planned for the new chalet, Letts said.

They’re hoping to engage with their stakeholders and the builders to begin to plan the new chalet.