Peggy Revell
Upgrades to Alberton’s Millennium Rink and Park site, an energy audit for the Emo-LaVallee Community Centre, and an expansion to hiking trails in Nestor Falls-Sioux Narrows are the handful of district projects getting underway soon following the recreational infrastructure funding announcements made last week by the federal and provincial governments.
As part of the Recreational Infrastructure Canada program and Ontario Recreation Program, the provincial and federal governments will each be funding up to one third of a selected project’s costs, with recipients covering the remaining amount.
For the Township of Alberton funding up to $24,040 from the federal government—plus a matching amount from the province—will be going towards upgrading the Millennium Rink and Park site.
“It’s awesome, I’m really excited,” said Beth Logue, secretary for the Alberton’s rec committee. “I’m so happy to have this money so we can get some playground equipment over there because it’s such a nice park site, and with the pavilion and the picnic tables and everything, I’m hoping that more families will come out and barbecue, and then the kids will have something to do.”
While the rink is a big attraction for residents in the winter, Logue said that they hope the playground equipment will mean residents can stay in Alberton instead of going to other places like Fort Frances for their children to play on equipment.
The equipment which they hope to install include a unit with couple of slides, stairs and pole to go down, Logue said, as well as some climbing apparatus, and a couple of swings, both a regular one and one for toddlers.
Currently, Logue is contacting different places to see what’s the earliest this equipment can go in by, she said, with the aim of having it all installed so it can be used for this summer.
“We’re also going to expand the rink shack and make it bigger, because our rink is really busy in the winter,” Logue added. “So we’ll make that a little bit bigger and spruce it up a little bit.”
“I’m really excited, I’ve been hoping for this for quite a while,” she said.
Meanwhile, funding up to $32,871 from the federal government, plus a matching amount from the province, will be going towards an energy audit for the Emo-LaVallee Community Centre.
“We know there are improvements in the arena which we can certainly make to improve our energy consumptions, thereby lowering the costs, and make it more efficient,” said Emo mayor Ed Carlson, who said that they hope to start the project as soon as possible and would like to have it done and completed by this fall.
If there is money left over following the audit, this will then possibly go towards more energy efficient replacements, Carlson said.
“Our furnaces, they’re old, and there’s certainly improvements that can be made there probably, and lighting,” he noted. “There’s several different things that we can look at that are easy fixes.”
“All these funding projects, they’re lots of work to get yourself in the position to actually get the funding,” he added. “But when they come through it’s a great addition to the community, and we are very appreciative.”
Meanwhile, Nestor Falls-Sioux Narrows will be receiving up to $73,334 from the province and federal government to put towards the $110,000 construction project of the Aspen Trail System Boardwalk.
“Right now we have a ski trail that crosses a big swamp, and our intention is to be able to build a walkway around that swamp so we will be able to use it in the summertime as well as time as well,” explained Mayor Bill Thompson, of the trail that’s in the Sioux Narrows Provincial Park.
Thompson estimated that the new trail will open up another five or six kilometres in trail for the public to hike along.
“Hiking is one of the things that people want to do when they come to our area, Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls, because it’s such a beautiful place,” he said on the benefits of having this recreation project go forward.
“Particularly because the trail head originates in the park, so people that are coming to the park will be able to access this trail, and it will be great for them.”
The municipality will be starting on the project this summer, work on it in the winter and hopefully have it done for next year, he said.
“It’s infrastructure, it’s stimulus money coming from both provincial and federal governments, and we’re very appreciative of it,” Thompson added, noting that this type of funding—for recreational infrastructure—isn’t as common, meaning municipalities can sometimes be hard pressed to work on recreational projects like this.
Alongside Alberton, Emo and Sioux Narros/Nestor Falls, two First Nations within the area also landed funding for recreational projects.
Nickickousemencaning First Nation will be receiving up to $53,000 each from the province and Canadian government for the installation of a water park.
Meanwhile, Big Grassy First Nation will be receiving $712,085 from each level of government for the expansion of their fitness centre.
