Having experienced some economic difficulties in recent years, the “Fun in the Sun” committee will be submitting a request to the town for funding of July 1 activities at tonight’s council meeting.
“As you know, our committee has been experiencing great difficulty since the closing of the Fort Frances Bingo Hall in our fundraising efforts,” wrote FITS chair Paul Bock in a letter to mayor and council.
“We have held three raffles since the fall of last year and have had less than stellar results,” he added. “This is largely due to the many groups trying to survive without the bingo revenues that were there in the past and the seemingly never-ending number of raffle tickets always ongoing throughout the town.”
Bock pointed out the town used to give the FITS committee $5,000 towards fireworks each year up until about 15 years ago.
“The council at that time was trying to achieve a zero budget increase and was looking very hard at all expenditures and at that point, our committee was doing well at the Bingo Hall, therefore we opted to be self-sufficient and not pursue the town’s help,” he noted, adding that the committee was assured that if they ever needed help in the future to let council know.
Bock added that as far as he knows, most other municipalities fund their respective July 1 fireworks displays in some way, and that, from people he’s talked to in Fort Frances, some people here feel the town should help pay for them.
The FITS committee spends roughly $11,000 on fireworks, $1,500 on children’s activities, $2,000 on the parade, $1,000 on advertising, and about $2,500 on miscellaneous events.
Bock noted the town has graciously agreed to cover the required insurance for the event, and that FITS does get money from the Ministry of Heritage (it got about $4,000 in the past few years).
But in order to keep the July 1 celebration going here, the FITS committee is asking council to contribute $10,000 per year, while the committee would continue to raise a minimum of $4,000-5,000 per year.
“I realize that there are requests made to council all the time and that the budget dollars are tight. However, the fact that this has not been on the budget for approximately 15 years should make some difference in the decision process,” mentioned Bock.
“Without this help from the town, in my opinion, the July 1 activities would be severely lacking—if they were to take place at all—and they would be sorely missed by virtually every town resident,” he added.
Tonight’s council meeting is scheduled to start at 6:35 p.m. The committee of the whole will meet at 5:30, but is expected to be in-camera until about 6:10.
Other business at tonight’s meeting includes:
•a tender regarding the selection of an engineering firm for a three-year term;
•a review of hospital signage from Scott Street to Front Street;
•a review of a safety concern in the back lane behind Rainy Lake Sports and the Harbourage Restaurant;
•a request from International Falls for the town to participate in a bridge traffic survey;
•an item regarding solemnizing marriages;
•request for reconsideration of minutes of settlement;
•a letter from concerned citizens regarding a handicapped parking spot in front of 336 Scott St.;
•a request from the Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research to proclaim Sept. 16, 2007 as “Terry Fox Day” in Fort Frances;
•a request from M&M Meat Shops to proclaim Sept. 20, 2007 as “National Family Dinner Night” in Fort Frances;
•a letter from Dennis Robinson regarding tipping fee rates at the landfill site;
•a resolution from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry regarding the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund;
•a bylaw to amend Bylaw 21/94 to establish specific boards and committees;
•a bylaw to amend Bylaw 34/95 (the Procedure Bylaw);
•a bylaw to authorize an agreement for the provision of a public transportation system for the physically disabled within the Town of Fort Frances; and
•an item previously decided on to be brought forth for reconsideration. This item was a request from Mark Fontana regarding dockage on the riverfront.
Fort Frances Times
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