This is a story about a crown jewel and the silver setting it sits in.  This story could also be called “The Missing Crown Jewel and the Silver Setting.”  

We all know that the families that created The Yard District concept are part of our community.  Partners Rusty, Gord, Kenny and Jayson live and work here in PA.  They have kids here.  Grandkids here.  Aging, elderly parents here. 

We also know that they’ve been working on the concept of this development for over nine years.  

And, despite meeting with great resistance from these quiet guys, we’re starting to find out just how much they have been quietly giving to this community over the decades.

The Yard development was to have a big crown jewel at the center of it surrounded by a nice silver setting.  A new 4500 event center would be the hub of our community, hosting many different kinds of events that would appeal to many different interests in the arts, sports, entertainment and trade events.                        

It would not just entertain our own community members; it would draw tourism from across the province, the country and even the world. 

It would promote Prince Albert to get new commercial and corporate investment here to grow our commercial and corporate tax base.  To increase city revenues.  It would show our city in a positive light.

The silver setting came together so quickly!  The silver setting is comprised of the various buildings and businesses that invested in The Yard.  Largely because of the promise of the huge tourism draw that the crown jewel would be.

The crown jewel is all that is left now.  It is the 4500 seat event center. 

All the businesses around it are going vertical.  The event center that could be the hub of PA’s community remains proposed.  It is not confirmed.