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Community grants announced

City council has approved funding for community capital grant projects, but some last minute changes mean not everyone will get their funding right away.

City council has approved funding for community capital grant projects, but some last minute changes mean not everyone will get their funding right away.

Council unanimously approved a motion on Monday to hold funding on four school playground projects until it can be determined how the city usually pays for such enhancements.

Mayor Nolan Crouse raised the motion to exclude the projects after he voiced concerns over whether the community capital grants were the right source of funding.

"I have many questions about the schoolyard component of this," said Crouse. "It's not that I necessarily oppose more playgrounds, I just don't know how it fits into the context [of these grants]."

The decision means $256,602 of the available $825,000 will be held until administration returns to council on June 15 with an answer.

All four projects are replacements for ailing wooden playgrounds at Ecole Father Jan, Bertha Kennedy, Albert Lacombe and Ronald Harvey elementary schools.

None of the schools could be reached for comment. Gail Barrington-Moss, the city's director of culture, said the playgrounds do meet funding criteria but council wants to know more information about playground funding before a final decision is reached.

"When you look at the guidelines and criteria for this new grant program, they certainly meet the criteria," said Barrington-Moss. "I guess what council wants is a bit more information about how we've managed playgrounds that are on school property."

In the past, she said, schools have used fundraising to pay for playground improvements, but because they are also used after school hours, the city budgets funding for their maintenance costs.

"They're very heavily used by the community, hence the city and public works involved in the maintenance," Barrington-Moss said.

At council, she expressed concern that the decision means schools might not have time to finish the projects this year, but she's confident the June 15 deadline will accommodate their needs.

"We said that we could provide that [report] by the June 15 council meeting and that will expedite it," she said.

Other projects approved

Seven other projects were approved for community capital grant funding.

Among them was the Transitions Community Centre, which will receive $150,000 for the construction of a new facility, the Arts and Heritage Foundation, which will receive $127,129 for upgrades to the Little White Schoolhouse, and $100,000 for the Rotary Club to build a new park.

In total, the city received 12 applications for funding. Dynamyx Gymnastics was the only application turned down for funding after it applied for $4,000 toward new lighting in its facility.

The Community Services Advisory Board, which recommends who should receive grant dollars, met in camera to make its recommendations and couldn't say why Dynamyx was turned down.

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