EDMONTON -- The group pitching a park connecting downtown and Whyte Avenue is asking the City of Edmonton for $500,000, putting the project into question during provincial budget cuts.
The High Level Line Society wants to build a 4.3-kilometre park from MacEwan University to Whyte Avenue, with seven streetcar stops in between.
The park would include pop up markets, play areas for children, food and drinks, art and live performances.
"Instead of it being a corridor for just going to and from, we'd like to see it be a destination," said Gillian Thomson.
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Ward 6 Coun. Scott McKeen has said he likes the idea, but there's one, big, problem.
"Five-hundred thousand dollars is not going to happen," McKeen said. "It's just not going to happen right now."
"Money is scarce and getting scarcer," Ward 9 Coun. Tim Cartmell said, "so I'm not sure that we can pledge to make that investment."
Thomson understands it's a bad time to ask for money, in the wake of provincial cuts that left the city with a funding shortfall worth an estimated $150-million, but says they need help.
"We've been carrying this for the past three years or so on a volunteer effort. We think we've taken almost as far as we can on our own."
The High Level Line Society will present a report to the Urban Planning Committee next Tuesday, where they also plan to pitch other requests for less money.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
