By David F. Rooney
Almost 150 people attended Monday night’s show-and-tell from 31 non-profit groups seeking slices of the Columbia Basin Trust’s $341,461 Community Initiatives and Affected Areas Program pie for 38 local projects.
The projects ranged from the Food Bank to youth services and other Community Connections’ programs, Bear Aware, the Avalanche Centre, the Cycling Association, Screen Smart, the Visual Arts Society, the North Columbia Environmental Society and other local clubs and organizations. One of the most interesting and freshest projects was a proposal by the new Revelstoke Climbers Coop to build and indoor climbing wall. One group, the Coffee House Music Society, dropped out because it raised the funds it needed for new equipment through a concert at the Performing Arts Centre. And the Golf Club reduced its request for funding to install a closed-loop recycling water and wash bay system to $16,000 from $25,000. Please see the complete list of applicants and their projects below.
This is, as Loni Parker, director of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District’s Area B, noted the most comprehensive, public and transparent of the CIP selection processes held in the Basin. Where other communities rely exclusively on local Councils to select the beneficiaries of the CBT’s CIP grants, Revelstoke actively solicits public input through this annual meeting. Only members of the clubs seeking funds may vote. Group representatives pitch their projects to the crowd and, at the end of the meeting, everyone votes for their 10 favourite projects. Those votes are worth 15% of the total score assigned by a selection committee to all eligible projects. The committee assigns the remaining 85 per cent score to the projects.
In practice, almost everyone who applies for funding receives some money. Very few organizations receive everything they ask for. Even fewer receive nothing.
This year, local groups requested $528,546 for 39 projects with a combined budget of $1,380,173.
COLUMBIA BASIN TRUST – REVELSTOKE & CSRD AREA B
AFFECTED AREAS & COMMUNITY INITIATIVES PROGRAM – 2013 APPLICATIONS
PROJECT/APPLICANT | PROJECT DESCRIPTION | Project Budget | Funds Requested | |
1 | Youth ServicesCommunity Connections | Provide a continuum of services to youth in collaboration with local agencies and organizations | 79,500 | 25,000 |
2 | Early Learning ProgramRevelstoke Community Childcare Society | Provide and support early learning programs and special community children’s events. | 24,000 | 15,000 |
3 | Screen Smart Challenge WeekRevelstoke Board of Education #19 | A weeklong event focussed on educating parents and children on the affects of screen media on the developing child | 5,000 | 4,000 |
4 | Summer Day CampCommunity Connections | Provide an opportunity for children (age 4 – 13) to have a fun and meaningful summer day camp experience | 90,045 | 30,000 |
5 | Big Eddy Playground RevitalizationRevelstoke Community Childcare Society | Revitalize Big Eddy Park by installing safe, developmentally appropriate playground equipment | 41,960 | 24,960 |
6 | RSS Junior Band TripRevelstoke Secondary School | Travel to Victoria to perform and receive instruction from academic staff at the University of Victoria | 18,600 | 2,000 |
7 | Canine SAR Educational VideoCanadian Canine Search & Rescue Soc. | Produce a short amateur to be shown at educational presentations and avalanche awareness programs and courses | 3,500 | 3,000 |
8 | Public Avalanche Education & OutreachCanadian Avalanche Centre | Deliver avalanche education to grades K-12 in Revelstoke for the winter season and host a local public outreach event in mid winter season | 10,801 | 5,000 |
9 | Knowledge is Power SeriesCdn Mental Health Association | Deliver a series of free public education forums that focus on a variety of mental health and addiction topics. | 9,000 | 8,400 |
10 | Adult Centre of Learning & AdvisingOkanagan College | Deliver support, computer access, study & tutor space, free exam invigilation and education advising services | 9,400 | 8,500 |
11 | Social Justice AdvocateCommunity Connections | Provide services to residents who are marginalized by poverty, illiteracy or disability to ensure equal access to basic needs | 65,000 | 15,000 |
12 | Senior’s Volunteer CoordinatorRevelstoke Senior Citizens Association | Implement and develop volunteer-based programs to meet specific needs of seniors | 28,100 | 15,000 |
13 | Food BankCommunity Connections | Provide year round food assistance and choices of healthy nutritious food items for persons that live in poverty or are working poor. | 170,200 | 40,000 |
14 | Hospice Volunteers & ResourcesRevelstoke Hospice Society | Recruiting and training volunteers. | 8,000 | 8,000 |
15 | Canine SAR Team EquipmentCanadian Canine Search & Rescue | Purchase technical helicopter safety rated harnesses for tactical insertion of newly validated teams | 4,412 | 3,000 |
16 | Race Events & Ski ProgramsRevelstoke Ski Club | Host regional to national level youth ski race events and continue providing skier development programs for this calibre of competition | 22,500 | 15,000 |
17 | Bridge Replacement & Trail ConstructionRevelstoke Nordic Ski Club | Complete the replacement of the BCIT trail bridge and construct a new connector trail to better align Beaver Lake Trail. | 28,200 | 21,000 |
18 | Bouldering GymRevelstoke Climbers Coop | Construct an indoor bouldering wall. | 9,162 | 9,162 |
19 | Swim Assoc. Timing EquipmentRevelstoke Summer Swim Club | Purchase upgraded equipment for timing summer swim meets that will be shared throughout the Selkirk, Thompson and Okanagan Region | 65,117 | 6,344 |
20 | Covered Riding ArenaSelkirk Saddle Club | Construct a 60 x 120 covered riding arena | 210,520 | 30,000 |
21 | Host Regional Axel WorkshopRevelstoke Skating Club | Host an Axel Workshop for skaters and coaches in the region. | 5,573 | 2,000 |
22 | Acrobat Safety EquipmentRevelstoke Acro-Bats Club | Purchase overhead spotting system, safety mats, video camera and DVR, storage cabinets, shelving, double mini bed & safety mat lifters | 16,147 | 12,000 |
23 | Aquatic Safety & Training EquipmentRevelstoke Masters Swim Club | Replace unsafe and aged training equipment, acquire health monitoring equipment and accurate timing equipment. | 4,388 | 4,000 |
24 | Wash Water Recycling PlanRevelstoke Golf Club | Install a close looped recycling water and wash bay system | 35,000 | 16,000 |
25 | RDHS Feline Spay/Neuter InitiativeRevelstoke & District Humane Society | Operate a no-cost feline spay/neuter ‘blitz’ to reduce the growing population of homeless and/or abandoned cats. | 10,000 | 10,000 |
26 | Revelstoke Bear AwareRevelstoke Bear Aware Society | Deliver the Revelstoke Bear Aware Program | 32,600 | 18,000 |
27 | Environmental EducationNorth Columbia Environmental Society | Deliver community events that foster environmental awareness and engagement through education. | 18,655 | 15,180 |
28 | Forest Museum Education ProgramBC Interior Forestry Museum | Continued development of the environmental education program and addition of two new elements at the museum. | 25,500 | 15,000 |
29 | Performing Arts ProgrammingRevelstoke Arts Council | Increase the programming at the Performing Arts Centre to make it more economically viable. | 16,000 | 7,000 |
30 | Infrastructure in Mountain Bike AreasRevelstoke Cycling Association | Expansion and improvement of mountain bike infrastructure and trail networks in the Revelstoke Area | 38,500 | 28,500 |
31 | Stoke FM Equipment ImprovementStoke FM Radio Society | Update antenna and broadcast transmitter so signal can clearly reach all the residents of Revelstoke | 5,289 | 3,000 |
32 | Rev. Mountain Paradise Show & ShineVintage Car Club of Canada (Revelstoke) | Host a car show in downtown Revelstoke on June 1, 2013. | 6,271 | 2,500 |
33 | Community Training SubsidiesOkanagan College | Reduce financial barriers for individuals and non-profit organization that require employment related training to increase skills and abilities. | 25,133 | 12,000 |
34 | Simulator UpgradeRevelstoke Heritage Railway Society | Upgrade the (non-functioning) SD 40 diesel electric locomotive train simulator. | 28,000 | 20,000 |
35 | RVAS Exhibition ProgramRevelstoke Visual Arts Society | Continue increasing trend in arts and culture events access. | 30,000 | 18,000 |
36 | Maintain & Expand Arts & CultureRevelstoke Arts Council | Expand the provision for arts and culture programmes in Revelstoke | 92,000 | 25,000 |
37 | Exhibit & Collections EnhancementRevelstoke Museum & Archives Assoc. | Manage current exhibit projects, rehousing of the collection and create an exhibit plan. | 74,850 | 25,000 |
38 | BEES PresentsBygone Era Entertainment Society | Hold vintage gramophone, film and dance performances and complete the mural project from 2012 | 13,250 | 7,000 |
| Project Total Funding | $1,380,173 | $528,546 | ||
