It sounds like the kind of problem that everyone would love to have: You have to give away three-quarters of a million dollars to some deserving group for some worthy project.
But Squamish council just might find that this act of distributing largesse to the community has the potential to cause more political pain than payoff.
The $750,000 comes from the Olympic legacy funds, which are designated for sport-related initiatives in the community. And in a town like Squamish, loaded with outdoor enthusiasts and berefit of public funds, the promise of money is like a plateful of food in front of the hungry, so it's not surprising that 18 groups have made application for some or all of the funds.
But an undercurrent of skepticism has already started. Some have suggested that it's a done deal, that council has already earmarked the funds and that the process has more to do with PR than with finding the best use for the money.
Proponents of this theory point to the close association that Mayor Greg Gardner and Coun. Doug Race have had with the Callaghan Winter Sports Club (CWSC).
Both were on the advisory board of CALOC - the CWSC predecessor - and Gardner had CWSC president Denise Imbeau as campaign manager when he ran in the last election.
The concern is that the Nordic sport training facility, championed by the Callaghan Winter Sports Club, has an inside track and perhaps the sympathetic ear of at least two members of council.
If the money goes to the Nordic facility, council will be sure to hear lots of complaints about fairness and transparency.
Whatever its decision, I imagine that in trying to assuage the concerns of bias, the temptation for council will be to offer some funds to many groups rather than bankrolling one large project.
The problem with that idea is the $750,000 is really not that much money. Most of the projects - including the Nordic centre -will require more than that and will rely on other funding sources for completion.
The less money any project receives, the less likely it will be done well or soon.
What council needs to do is to sit back and evaluate what project, if any, will benefit the most people in the community.
And if it's the case that each proposal is too narrowly focused to be beneficial to the community as a whole, council needs to have the fortitude to say "no" to all the proposals and to spend the money in the way it sees best.
One idea floated has been to pave as much of the valley trail as possible to make it a viable commuting option.
By starting at Brennan Park and moving both south and north, a good portion of the trail could be completed and be available to cyclists, rollerbladers, moms with strollers and the elderly.
It's the kind of legacy that most of the community would benefit from and it may just be uncontroversial enough to let council get out of this process without too many misgivings.
