Flagstaff County approves over $400,000 in recreation grant funding

Flagstaff County has reviewed and approved applications for their 2013 Regional Recreation Grant totalling over $405,000 for Flagstaff recreational programming.

During their Oct. 26 regular County Council meeting, council voted to increase the participation on the Recreation committee to include all councillors.

“The subject is so volatile, everybody needs to be exposed [to the decision-making process]” said County Councillor Wade Lindseth.

Despite council’s initial concerns that more members on the committee would mean longer discussions, overall discussion supported the motion, and it was carried.

Council reviewed 92 eligible applications this year for the 2013 program, and according to Community Recreation Coordinator Jim Fedyk, funds were allocated based on the degree each project met grant criteria.

He adds that 43 projects received the full amount requested in their applications.

Fedyk added, “The process was noticeably improved from our end.

“Obviously the newly prepared Facility Master Plan has been a huge aid towards identifying where future capital dollars should go.

“In particular,” Fedyk says, “we are very pleased to be able to partner up with the Sedgewick Rec Centre in their goal to make their facility more energy efficient by replacing the lighting.

“This will go a long way towards reducing costs and giving that facility a better opportunity of succeeding.

“Over time hopefully usage of the facility will increase as well so that it can become the success story it was meant to be.
“It would have been very difficult for a project such as this to receive funding under the previous funding distribution program,” he adds.

Read the rest of the story, including a full list of grant recipients, in the March 13, 2012 Edition of The Community Press, on newsstands now!