Prairieland Park proposes buying skyride chairlift from Ontario fair
A new development proposed by Prairieland Park includes a “skyride chairlift,” a permanent fixture that would give exhibition-goers a chance to see the park and the city from a new perspective.
A report about building the chairlift and another exhibition hall at Prairieland goes to city council’s planning committee for approval on Monday.
“It would be quite unique for our size of fair in our city,” Prairieland Park CEO Mark Regier said. “It’s a wow factor. It takes your fair to another level.”
The skyride resembles a chairlift that operates parallel to the ground, about 30 feet up. The proposal has it extending about 1,000 feet, from next to the grandstand on the fairgrounds to the pedestrian entrance by the intersection of Lorne Avenue and Ruth Street.
Regier said Prairieland has a “once-in-20-years opportunity” to get the skyride at a reasonable price from the Western Fair in London, Ont., which had to take it down to make room for a new casino.
He said Prairieland has not made an official offer on the skyride because the plan has not been cleared by the city.
“We can’t really make an offer until we’ve got a building permit from the city ... the hope is we haven’t lost it.”
City spokesman Mark Rogstad said the process of going through the council committee is essentially a “formality” for the development proposal because of Prairieland Park’s lease agreement with the city.
Considering the costs of purchasing and building the structures required, Regier said the park will look at other opportunities to run the skyride outside the limited window of the Saskatoon Exhibition. If all goes well, it will be up and running by next year’s Exhibition, he said.
“We’ve seen the value it bring to patrons of the fair in other cities ... we would like to see it in Saskatoon.”