MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – County council has passed a motion calling for the $120,000 Mountain View Summer Games Legacy Foundation fund to be dissolved, with the funds in the foundation split among area municipalities and Olds College.
The move came during the recent regularly scheduled council meeting, held in council chambers and by teleconference.
The motion calls on the county to seek mutual approval from the Town of Olds, Town of Didsbury, Town of Carstairs, Town of Sundre, Village of Cremona and Olds College to shut down the foundation.
The Summer Games Legacy was established with surplus funds following the 1983 Alberta Summer Games, which were held in what was then the County of Mountain View and area towns.
The fund was designed to assist and promote the development of sports and arts at the elite level in the district.
“It's intent was for the principal amount established in the fund to generate enough interest annually to provide grant opportunities for residents and/or non-profit organizations to access in order to assist highly talented athletes or artists develop,” director of legislative service Chris Atchison told council.
The fund has not been access for several years, nor has a board been appointed to administer the funds, he said, noting that the Town of Olds has maintained control and management of the reserve.
Three years ago an attempt was made to review the fund and come up with a future direction, he said.
“Unfortunately, no momentum has been generated to re-establish the fund. As such, it is administration’s recommendation that the funds be returned to each partner as per the dissolution clause of the foundation bylaws and each party can determine an appropriate use for the funds,” he said.
Administration recommended that the county’s portion of the funds be used within one of the municipality’s parks to commemorate the Alberta Summer Games legacy and those who volunteered to make the games possible, he said.
Five of the seven foundation members must agree to the dissolution, and “as such a request will be sent to each municipality and Olds College for consideration.”
