Four Squamish Legacy Fund projects will receive a portion of their request to Squamish council and $620,000 is still on the table, set aside to fund one of three remaining large-scale projects.
On Tuesday (March 22), council debated the merit of putting money aside for a larger project and made decisions about monetary contributions to the four smaller ones.
I think we should set aside an amount to fund one of the larger projects to be considered at a later date because it seems to me those larger projects require more information, said Coun. Corinne Lonsdale.
But we need to make some other decisions immediately for example, if the BMX applicant is going to meet the timeframe to host nationals, they either need to rent or buy a starting gate and bleachers.
The three large projects left on the table are the Brennan Park multi-purpose turf arena, the mountain bike skills development park and the Squamish Legacy Sports Park.
Before discussing the projects, council focused on disbursing money to the paddling clubhouse expansion, the advanced sail training at the Squamish Yacht Club, the Diamond Head Trail and the BMX park improvements.
Council members decided to discuss all four proposals before pinning down the amounts.
Coun. Paul Lalli was adamant that all four proposals should be treated the same I would like to be consistent with the amount of funding and think that one-third of each project is a fair idea.
We should have some sort of criteria to ensure were looking at this fairly, said Lalli.
Lonsdale said just because there were only four small proposals left didnt mean council should give a little bit to everyone.
I dont just want to play the nice guy and give a little to them all to make them happy, she said.
Weve already made a lot of people unhappy and we need to assess each one of these based on its merit.
The Yacht Club request was for $50,000 to purchase four advanced sail trainers, two trailers to hold the vessels, an inflatable coach boat and an outboard motor. The goal is to incorporate an advanced sail-training program to the clubs youth summer program and according to the club, current youth involvement is restricted because of the size of the boats.
Lonsdale, as in previous discussions, said she couldnt support the full amount, if any portion of it.
Its $250 for a one-week camp and thats expensive, she said. Im not sure how the average family would encourage their kid to go out and take these lessons I honestly think cost-wise this is something that cannot be taken up by most Squamish youth.
Coun. Patricia Heintzman agreed and said the outcome didnt affect enough of the community.
I cant support the total amount. It just doesnt hit enough people, she said.
Coun. Doug Race pleaded the Yacht Clubs case, saying the youth affected this summer would only be the beginning.
You all know my background and my bias towards these sports, he said. Part of the reason I want to support this is because its key to Squamish becoming an oceanfront community and over the years this will result in a significant return.
He added that every sport requires some cost outlay, even if its buying a bike.
Every sport has to grow from somewhere and the intent is to grow the sport, said Race. This is the key embryonic stage.
Coun. Rob Kirkham supported getting a youth sailing program up and running.
The more we support the program the more kids will get involved, he said. In this case I see the sport itself being the legacy.
Races motion to support the entire $50,000 was amended to $30,000 by Lalli with Race, Kirkham and Gardner opposed.
The motion to grant the Squamish Yacht Club $30,000 was carried unanimously.
The Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association (SORCA) requested $90,653 to build a bike trail along Diamond Head Road to access dozens of well-used trails. The project would include the trail itself, signage, a parking lot and a kiosk and is contingent on volunteer hours to help build the trail.
Well-known trails advocate Coun. Bryan Raiser said this proposal was more than a Legacy project it was a safety issue.
Diamond Head Road is insanely dangerous right now with the amount of bike traffic on there, he said. This is a much-needed proposal.
Heintzman reiterated the trails importance but felt contributions should also come from elsewhere.
This is probably a key artery in our trails network, she said. To the Half Nelson, to Ring Creek Rip and the Plunge.
In an ideal world Id want to fund the whole thing but I think there are options for partnering up here.
Race said he supported funding a portion of the project but had some concerns about the proposed trails location.
Its outside the municipal boundaries, which isnt fatal but makes partnering with the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District a good idea.
Raisers motion to allocate $45,000 to the Diamond Head Trail was not well supported and Lalli made a motion to amend the amount to $30,000. A vote on allocating $30,000 to the project received unanimous support.
The paddling clubhouse expansion proposal asked council for $25,000 to help pay for a clubhouse and a storage area for boats.
Kirkham moved to support the entire $25,000 because the entire cost of the project was actually $41,000.
The paddling club is only asking for a part of the entire cost whereas the other groups were asking us to pay for the whole thing, he said. Its already discounted.
Lalli said he refused to support any of the four projects to the full amount and suggested amending the amount to $15,000.
Thats my criteria and Im sticking to it, he said.
Race said he didnt support the amendment because he didnt like the idea of just going by a rule of thumb and thought the request was reasonable.
The amendment was carried and the motion to allocate $15,000 to the paddling club was carried with Kirkham opposed.
The Squamish BMX Racing Clubs request for $99,760 included purchasing a starting gate and four sets of bleachers, pop-up tents and funding for coaching clinics. The club is hosting the Sea to Sky National Race in June and is therefore on a tighter timeline than other Legacy Fund applicants.
Council decided to support allocating $55,000 to the club, enough to purchase the starting gate and two sets of five-row bleachers. One council stipulation is that the bleachers belong to the District of Squamish and can be moved for other sporting events when necessary.
A concern that resurfaced throughout the discussion was making sure all four projects would be completed, despite only funding a portion of the projects.
With $620,000 and three projects still on the table, Lalli made a motion to allocate all the money to putting artificial turf on the Brennan Park all-weather fields.
The rest of council scoffed and no one seconded the motion.
I think there are still big questions about all three projects and we need that information before we make any decisions, said Heintzman.
I would like to hear from the proponents themselves.
Mayor Greg Gardner said he would invite the applicant groups to talk with council in the next month or two and made a motion to ask staff to come back with recommendations on funding release requirements such as tenure, completion of the project, written contracts and Legacy Funds recognition signage.
The motion was carried with Race opposed. He said he felt funding release requirements werent necessary for all the projects.
