INNISFAIL – Members of the cash-strapped local ski hill have appealed to town council for assistance to complete the long-awaited new chalet following a grant rejection by the province.
While council members unanimously agreed to support the non-profit club during an Agenda & Priorities meeting on Dec. 21, they expressed deep disappointment that the club’s application for a small stream-matching $125,000 grant from the province’s Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) was recently denied.
“It’s been a couple of years since we’ve got anything and it’s a little bit disappointing to say the least,” said mayor Jim Romane of the ski hill’s CFEP grant rejection, which followed provincial denials in 2019 and 2018 on the Innisfail Kinsmen Club’s attempts to secure grant funding for the million-dollar Innisfail Skatepark project.
“I can understand the need for frugal thoughts but on the other hand these are funds that are budgeted to be put back into the community,” said Romane. “And its money back from lotteries and things like that, so it’s a little disappointing we have seemed to have taken the backburner to some other communities but they haven’t been doling out a lot of money to this area anyways.”
Romane said last week he talked to Innisfail-Sylvan Lake MLA Devin Dreeshen about the recent number of local CFEP grant rejections.
“And of course, he’s busy with his committees and Christmas and everything else but he said he would certainly look into it a little more here,” said Romane, adding the advice he will be giving the ski club is to apply a second time for a CFEP grant.
The Albertan reached out to Dreeshen, and his press secretary Justin Laurence said in an email on Jan. 4 that calls were made to the ministry responsible for CFEP grants for information but his office was still waiting for a response.
The last major successful local CFEP grant application was one in 2017/18 for $99,209 by the Innisfail Minor Ball Association.
In 2015/2016, the Innisfail and District Historical Society received a $17,000 CFEP grant to cover the cost of relocating the historic Sinclair home, while in 2010/2011 the Innisfail Flying Club received $15,000 for facility construction.
While Innisfail’s non-profits have experienced recent bad luck in acquiring large provincial funding for major recreational projects, organizations in other communities have fared better.
Earlier this year the committee for the Sylvan Lake Spray Park was successful in acquiring a CFEP grant for $271,976.
“I was very disappointed for the ski hill because the organization is 100 per cent volunteer. They have done such a tremendous job over many decades,” said Coun. Jean Barclay, who noted on Dec. 21 that the Red Deer Pickleball Club was the recipient of a controversial $40,536 CFEP grant 13 months ago, one reportedly heralded publicly by Red Deer-North MLA and UCP cabinet minister Adriana LaGrange. “It was disappointing they (ski club) didn’t get the CFEP, for sure.”
In the meantime, Innisfail council has given direction to administration to find a way to support the Innisfail Ski Hill.
During the Dec. 21 council meeting, Brent Jackson, president of the ski club, along with volunteer Angie Spiller, laid out the organization’s financial picture. The chalet project, which began earlier this year on a $385,000 budget, is nearly competed.
Jackson said the actual project cost as of Dec. 15 was about $363,000. He told council the club received a “fair mount” of volunteer labour and equipment donations, which has kept the budget in line.
Council was told the ski club had $125,000 cash balance in the bank to support the project.
Jackson said the ski club has received personal donations totalling $135,500. He added the club also received about $6,000 worth of local business donations, with more expected, and another $25,000 coming from local service clubs.
He said the club’s shortfall of money to complete the project was in the $50,000 to $60,000 range, adding his family was going to donate about $30,000.
Jackson told council the ski club has some future expenses that are not yet in the budget, including $8,800 worth of appliances, and another $3,200 worth of new fencing.
He also said the club would like to get new tables, and landscaping, with the latter costing about $6,000.
Spiller said because the province denied their grant application, they now find themselves in a financial shortfall. She told council they were unsure how to approach the town for assistance.
“I think we are looking for some guidance on how best we can work with the town, if that is a possibility and what that can look like,” said Spiller.
Barclay suggested a motion to have administration work with the ski hill to engage with them and talk about some different ideas, with a proposal brought back to council.
Todd Becker, the town’s chief administrative officer, said administration has met with ski hill people a few times, and would be happy to meet them again, but the town needs to know what the ask is – financial, in-kind or both - particularly since the ski club’s grant application to the province has fallen through.
Members of council also advanced the idea of ski hill representatives going to Red Deer County for additional support, beyond its current assistance of $3,000 to $7,000 worth of season passes for rural residents.
“We want to help them. They are good people in a very important operation,” said Becker.
