Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion

The town’s elected officials have passed a resolution to approve funds for 12 community organizations under the semi-annual Kindersley Community Grant program.

Council members approved the grants at a meeting on Oct. 10 and a total of about $7,690 was approved for the 12 recipients in the fall intake. Each year the Town of Kindersley budgets $15,000 for the Community Grant program.

The town accepts applications twice each year, once in the spring and once in the fall. The newest recipients approved at the meeting are from the fall intake of applications. More than $52,000 has been granted to organizations since 2013 when the program was first established, according to an administrative report.

To qualify for the grant, projects and programs must take place within the town’s boundaries and the resulting goods or services must remain in the community upon completion. Programs and projects must benefit or have a positive impact on key sector demographics or the community at large.

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Michelle McMillan, the town’s manager of culture and heritage, told council there were 14 applicants for the fall intake and all of the applications were good. She said more funds were requested than what were available in the program.

KAWS Animal Rescue was one of 12 organizations to receive funding

The community organizations requested about $9,190 and there was only $7,690 remaining in the $15,000 budget. The other funds were granted to recipients in the spring. The unsuccessful applicants have both received the grants before and one applied for two grants in the fall, so the applicant received funds for one program, McMillan said.

Eight of the 12 recipients have been approved for the maximum grant of $750. The grant program was established to have an organized application process and to avoid individual funding requests being made to council.

The fall recipients are Pathway to Wellness, Kindersley Chamber of Commerce, West Central Crisis & Family Support Centre, Kindersley Screen Arts, New Life Community Church, Friends of Kinsmen Park, KAWS Animal Rescue, Prairie West Growing Project, Kinder Kollege, West Central Abilities, Kobra Football Parents Association, and NRC Management.

McMillan said there was a good group of applicants, and their projects and programs are a great example of all the good things going on in the community. Mayor Rod Perkins said all of the applications were complete and all recipients are required to follow up with the town.

Other meeting highlights

Council members have received information about the 2017 season at the town’s tourism centre located at the Kindersley & District Plains Museum.

An administrative report to council states that the Town of Kindersley has operated a tourism centre for more than 25 years to assist travellers and visitors. The centre has often been staffed with summer students and it operates from May 1 until the end of August.

“We had another good year for 2017,” said Michelle McMillan, the town’s manager of culture and heritage, recognizing that the tourist centre is part of her portfolio and she has worked with the staff to improve customer service.

She told council the goal is to build up the centre to serve visitors better. McMillan said there was nearly a 50 per cent increase in visitors at the museum from 2016 to 2017, so the building was a busy place at times. She said the increase could be attributed in part to people travelling for Canada’s 150th birthday.

There was a total of 1,518 visitors at the museum from May to August as compared to 1,022 visitors in 2016 and only 876 visitors in 2015 over the same period. According to the report, 492 of the 1,518 visitors in 2017 stopped at the centre for tourist information.

Council heard that several compliments were received from people with respect to the centre. The staff members at the centre are referred to as tourism advisors and they work 40 hours per week, McMillan said. She also provided information about projects, challenges, expenses and revenues to council.

  • The Kindersley Wildlife Federation (KWF) is in the process of having its gun range recertified and the group required a letter from council in order to proceed.

Mayor Rod Perkins said the KWF operates a gun range near the Eldon Brick CN Reservoir and the organization needs to apply to recertify the range. He said the KWF requires a letter from the town stating officials are aware of the range and that shells could end up in the reservoir.

Water enters the CN Reservoir through the Eston-Kindersley water system. Perkins said the town is aware of the situation and the KWF has taken steps to prevent any shrapnel from ending up in the reservoir. Council passed a resolution to provide the letter.

  • Council members have passed a resolution to terminate a governance policy review committee of council and to retire the committee’s terms of reference.

Mayor Rod Perkins said council “had some extensive work done” to its governance policy through the work of the committee. The Kindersley Council Governance Manual has been updated, so the committee is no longer needed, he added.

  • Library costs are about to increase for municipalities in the Wheatland Regional Library. The regional library will be proposing a $0.10 per capita increase to municipalities at its fall regional board meeting and library officials have notified the town of the pending change. Bernie Morton, the town’s chief administrative officer, said the increase is manageable and the levy has not been increased since 2009, so the town is “happy to support that.”

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