The construction of an accessible park in Portage la Prairie's north end will have to wait a little while longer.

The Aviva Contest that could have seen up to $100,000 come to the community to help build a park on 3rd St. NW announced finalists today, and the Portage Parks Committee's submission didn't make the cut. Online voting was open until Oct. 28, with the top 10 finishers in each category advancing to receive funding consideration by Aviva. Portage's project received just over 16,000 votes.

"It doesn't mean it's the end of that accessible playground," says Coun. Melissa Draycott, the city's rep on the parks committee. "It just means we'll to try to allocate money for that particular development in a different way."

Draycott says the accessible playground will remain on the parks committee's radar, as it was a major need identified in a community consultation process over three years ago. The projected cost of the project is about $200,000.

"We will likely see a longer time period to get that project to fruition," Draycott says. "Just because of the costs associated with it."

"We will have to go back to the drawing board and see if there are other places we can go to,” continues Draycott. “Or if there are other grants we can get involved with for this project to move forward.”

Draycott adds a substantial amount of money is allocated to recreation by the City of Portage la Prairie, but this project wasn't something the parks committee requested city funding for. She says for the park to be built, other forms of funding aside from city dollars will be required.

"There was always the knowledge that we would have to come up with some funding in alternative ways," Draycott says.