Cold Lake city council approved funding for 17 local grant applications at its April 8 meeting, with most applications under the Community Recreation, Art, Culture, and Heritage (CRACH) Grant program.
16 applications were originally submitted under the CRACH program, but the Community Grant Advisory Committee recommended that two be moved to teh Community Capital Grant category due to the projects purpose.
“The Advisory Committee puts in a lot of hours to go through these grant applications, before presenting council with their recommendations,” said Mayor Craig Copeland. “We really appreciate all their hard work in going through so many applications each month.”
With the reallocation, three Community Capital Grant requests were approved. $23,321 for roof replacement at 784 Wing Royal Canadian Airforce Association, $2,340 to David Plane for picnic tables and support blocks at Camp Vanier, and $5,517 to the Lakeland Gymnastics Club Society for flooring and maximizers.
The 14 remaining CRACH applications requested a total of $197,340 in funding, however the Advisory Committee recommended $77,200 in approvals to stay within the annual $250,000 CRACH budget, that $31,500 has already been distributed.
“Council understands the Advisory Committee is trying to manage cash flow in order to make funds available through the rest of the calendar year,” said Copeland. “There would have been very little left had everything been recommended for the full amount.”
Council approved CRACH funding for the following. $10,000 to the Bonnyville Health Foundation, $2,000 to the 1st Kinosoo Scout Group, $700 to Krissy Lorenzo, $10,000 to the Cold Lake Agricultural Society, and $1,500 to Cold Lake Ball Hockey. $2,000 to the Cold Lake Filipino Basketball League, $6,000 to the Cold Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, $3,000 to Connected Media In. o/a Lakeland Connect, $5,000 to Flight Athletics Inc., $25,000 to Hearts for Healthcare Inc., $1,000 to James Purdy, $5,000 to the Lakeland Lacrosse Association, $1,000 to Sean McMillan, and $5,000 to the Titans Boxing Club.
Requirements for the CRACH grant were recently updates, and the Advisory Committee now meets monthly to review submissions.
“They do a lot of tough leg work before bringing everything to council for a decision,” said Copeland. “We’r every fortunate to have these dedicated volunteers working hard behind the scenes.”
Cold Lake residents interested in joining a board or committee can find more information at www.coldlake.com/boards.Â
