Morinville community groups will get up to $100,000 next year to celebrate the town's centennial.
Town council voted 5-2 at its Aug. 24 meeting in favour of creating a fund for its 100th anniversary next year, with councillors Donna Phinney and Joe Gosselin opposed.
The fund is a supercharged, themed version of the town's current Community Grants Program, which is normally worth $22,500.
Staffers originally wanted to raise the fund to $50,000, but Coun. Joseph Trapani bumped it up to $100,000. "We want to do something 'wow'," he said in council. "If they're going to do something 'wow', they're going to need some funding."
Council voted to raise the fund to $100,000 so local groups would have more money with which to celebrate the town's centennial. "It doesn't mean we're going to use it all," Trapani said, "but at least it's available if something 'wow' comes in."
Big boost for fund
Father Jean-Baptiste Morin founded Morinville on April 11, 1890, according to historians.
The town is planning at least four big events to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, community services director Susan MacDonald said in an interview, one for each season. There will definitely be a harvest and Christmas festival, as well as events linked to St. Jean Baptiste Day and the new community cultural centre. This fund was meant to help locals hold their own celebrations.
Staffers should have rules for the fund ready by the end of the month, MacDonald said. "It'll be themed for the 100th anniversary and priority will be given to 100th anniversary projects."
That concerned Mayor Lloyd Bertschi who worried that a centennial theme could shut out some community groups. "We get the full ask with other groups that are not necessarily tied to the 100th," he said in council, citing recent cheerleading and flyball tournaments as examples. "I don't want to eliminate that need in the community."
This would be a one-time change to the fund in support of a significant event, said Coun. Paul Krauskopf. "When's the next time we're going to do a 100th anniversary?"
Council still has final say over who gets what out of the fund, Bertschi said in a later interview and groups could always try to work a centennial theme into their applications. It's a big chunk of change, he admitted, but since the town has about $1 million in unallocated funds in this year's budget, he said they had the money for it.
The town would have a separate budget for its centennial celebrations, MacDonald said, one she hoped to have ready by November. Those events would be planned by the centennial committee, which holds its next meeting Sept. 8.
Grant applications are due by Dec. 15, 2010 and March 31, 2011. Application forms will be available in late September. For details, call town marketing and events co-ordinator Peggy Gilchrist at 780-939-4361 ext. 285.
