LAC LA BICHE - Lac La Biche Agricultural Society members want to spend $145,000 to upgrade their agricultural grounds and to buy new equipment. But their plans are on pause as they await a funding partnership with the municipality.
The upgrades would include a $92,500 plan to pave a pathway between the Lakeland Agricom building and the adjacent outdoor pavilion at the facility along Highway 881. The proposed project also includes outdoor community seating areas to host visitors. The funding would also include $50,000 for the purchase of a new tractor to complete any future infrastructure projects at the site, including the proposed pathway.
In their request for a municipal grant to cover half of their costs, association members indicated that they have been contracting tractor services for paving and infrastructure needs at a large cost.
The funding request — for a total of $72,500 — was part of a recent presentation made to Lac La Biche County officials. Reading from the grant application, Carl Kurppa, the municipality’s Grants and Community Funding Coordinator, said the request for the tractor would help the society economize their resources while completing work year-round.
This is the third time the association has applied for the funding grant over the last year, re-adjusting their initial ask and working in the 50 per cent cost-share after councillors requested they look for efficiencies and partnerships the last time the request was made.
Last week, the third ask has also hit a bit of a snag, however, as the Capital Project Assistance Grant that supports the infrastructure needs of local organizations has already been maxed out for the 2022 fiscal year. Another issue facing the society is its own success. At least one councillor commented that the funding should only be used for organizations in dire need of money. The Ag Society was seen to have sustainable funding.
“It’s a little harder to support if they’re making money and they’re profitable. If they’re losing money on a continual basis then it’s easier to help them do upgrades and continue with their work,” said councillor Sterling Johnson, prior to council voting down the latest funding request until society directors can show updated financial accounts that show the financial need. “We should be helping people that are having a harder time than people who are in a profitable position.”
Changes
Last March society members applied to have the full cost of the $145,000 project funded through the municipal grant program. The society was told to bring back a cost-sharing option for council to consider. They did. Reducing the ask to $72,500. That funding application was then stalled when other funding requests by local groups for some of the $216,000 grant program depleted the fund.
“Our budget with this program is fully expended for the approvals of the requests that we’ve already done,” said Kurppa during the recent council meeting, suggesting that any additional funds would have to come from reserve funding. “I suppose if this were to be considered, you would have to look for another means of funding it outside of that budget.”
In turning down the funding request, councillor said they weren’t against the project, but say they are awaiting an updated financial picture from the society as well as their own pathway to finding the funding in the request.
“I’m definitely not against it or anything, I would like to support it but I would like to know a financial picture of where we are at,” said Lac La Biche County Mayor Paul Reutov, encouraging the ag society members and area residents who use the ag grounds to stay tuned.
“If we can get all that information consolidated, we can make a decision,” he said.
