Eleven local organizations to receive ReDi grant funding

By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG

Valemount Council approved 10 local organizations to receive funding totalling about $358,000 from the Columbia Basin Trust Resident-Directed grant (commonly known as ReDi grant) during its March 25th regular meeting. 

The grant program allows residents to vote on which projects they believe deserve funding through both an in-person and online survey. An adjudication committee of up to six residents and one councillor considers survey results and makes recommendations to Valemount Council, who ultimately decides which projects receive funding.

This year, 355 residents participated in the survey, according to a staff report presented to Council. In total, Council approved giving roughly $358,000 in funding from the grant to 11 organizations. The Trust had $510,000 available for projects, and unused funds will roll over into next year’s ReDi grant.

Council previously approved the Valemount Senior Citizens’ Housing Society’s request for $19,500 during a special meeting on March 19th. The request was approved during a special meeting due to concerns that Council would not meet quorum during the following meeting, with two councillors recusing themselves over a conflict of interest and with the mayor expected to be absent.

Council considered the remaining 11 requests the following week during its regular meeting. Nine of the requests were approved to receive the full amount they requested, while two organizations – the Valemount Community Sports Day Association, which organizes Valemountain Days, and the Yellowhead Outdoor Recreation Association – received part of the amount they had requested. The adjudication committee believed $2,500 of the Sports Day Association’s request would go towards wages for members of the association, so it only approved $15,300 of the requested $17,800. 

In a phone interview with The Goat, Yellowhead Outdoor Recreation Association member Patricia Thoni said the organization is pleased to have received funding. The organization had applied for $30,000 for trail improvements and maintenance, and received $16,080, because about half of the work described in the application would have taken place on trails outside of Village limits. However, Thoni said the funding will be sufficient to improve the West Ridge Trail, the McKirdy Meadows Trail, the Swift Creek Trail, the Camp Creek Cross-Country Trail, and the Cranberry Marsh Trail.

“In the past, it’s been a lot of volunteer work to try and maintain the trails, and a lot of our volunteers are getting up in age,” Thoni said. “It will be great to actually have some funding to hire some trail workers this year.”

Acting Chair of the Valemount Community Sports Day Association Shanon Manahan said the organization is grateful for the grant money they received, and understood how the employment of a festival coordinator could be seen as asking for wages.

“We are truly grateful for this grant,” Manahan wrote. “It will have a significant impact on Valemountain Days.”

Additionally, the committee recommended denying the Valemount Learning Society’s application. The Society requested roughly $8,000 for an eight-week emotional intelligence program, designed to teach Valemount residents emotional regulation skills. The committee found that many budget items were identified as wages or operational costs, going against ReDi grant guidelines.

In an email statement to The Goat, Valemount Learning Society president Korie Marshall said the organization believed the project would count as an exception to the ReDi grant guidelines on operational costs. The guidelines say ReDi grants can fund operational costs for projects which will last less than three years, Marshall said.

Marshall added that grant results should not be taken personally, and applicants can always learn from the experience.

“The ReDi Grant is a wonderful program for Valemount, especially since it is so flexible, but I do wish there could be more support for operational costs of non-profit organizations through all grant and funding programs,” Marshall said.