It didn't take long for the Estevan bid committee to get the good news.
On Tuesday morning, the group of people looking to bring the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games here found out the city is one of four finalists for the event.
The Saskatchewan Games Council will pay a visit to Estevan on Nov. 7 to view the city's facilities and meet the members of the bid committee.
They are expected to award the Games not long after that.
The committee, co-chaired by Brian Senchuk and Brian Smith, submitted their bid package on Sept. 27.
"We had a main package that included all the information that they were looking for regarding information on the City of Estevan, our organization as far as who we are and what we can offer, information about how we can succeed in our game plan, and of course, information about our facilities," Senchuk said on Monday, before the finalists were announced.
The submission also included a supplementary document featuring maps of the area and letters of support.
Quality of facilities is one of the biggest considerations when major sporting events are awarded, and while Estevan has some work to do on that front, Senchuk said the existing venues are strong.
"Estevan has phenomenal facilities. The only thing that's really lacking is the track. I think there's a tremendous amount of support there. As an organization, we have to raise funds and that'll probably be our next step. We have a lot of work ahead of us, we know that, but we're eager for the task."
A new track, along with required athletics venues, will be built at Estevan Comprehensive School whether the Games come to the city or not.
The committee has one-third of the costs left to raise after the City of Estevan and the South East Cornerstone School Division both committed to paying a significant part of the required funds - $336,000 from the City and $225,000 from the school division.
Other assorted upgrades will also be required, including the resurfacing of the tennis courts at ECS. Senchuk said that will happen if the Games are awarded.
"When it's over, the legacy will be that our facilities will be second to none," he said.
The high school is a crucial part of Estevan's bid. Aside from various facilities to be housed there, the school will also serve as the athletes' village for the Summer Games.
"In our bid, the athletes' pavilion is probably the most important aspect of our bid package. We think the comprehensive school is next to none as far as what it offers to our athletes. Over a one-week span, there will be at least 2,000 athletes staying there. We're really excited to have that facility and what it offers to us. We think it's going to be a phenomenal experience for our athletes," Senchuk said.
The co-chair added that while it's easy to second-guess the effort once the submission is in the hands of the Saskatchewan Games Council, he believes the Estevan committee put its heart and soul into the process.
"We think we put together a thorough bid, and if we don't get them, it won't be for a lack of our initiative and commitment.
"In hindsight, you always say you could've done better here or there, but overall we're very satisfied with it. It's not something we took lightly, we took it very seriously from Day 1 we put it together to the best of our ability and I think with the passion we had, it's very, very good."
It was one year ago that the committee working to restore the facilities at Dana Quewezance Memorial Field announced its intention to chase the Games. A lot has happened since then, with Senchuk saying "it has been a fairly large undertaking, maybe a little more than we anticipated."
With all the work that has been done to turn those ideas into an actual bid submission and make the final four, Senchuk said it's "a good feeling" to be at this point.
"It's amazing how ideas can turn into reality and that if you're committed to something, anything's possible. We always have that 'do not fail' mindset and I think once we determined we were going to do it, there was no turning back."
