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Creston council considers grant requests

Once again, Creston town council has more requests for Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) funds than it has money...

Same problem, different year. Once again, Creston town council has more requests for Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) funds than it has money.

At Tuesday’s regular town council meeting, Mayor Ron Toyota announced the town has $59,024 to distribute to organizations that qualify for CBT community initiatives and affected areas programs, its share of about $3 million this year. More than $82,000 has been requested.

“The requests total 28 per cent more than we have to disburse,” Toyota said at the meeting, where a couple dozen representatives had gathered, prepared to defend their funding requests. “It would be easy just to give each applicant 28 per cent less than they requested, but this council doesn’t work that way. Each submission will be considered on its own merits.”

Toyota said that once again the Town of Creston and directors of Regional District of Central Kootenay areas A, B and C would share information about the applications in an attempt to make sure the funds available would be distributed as fairly as possible. In past years, organizations that provide services to residents throughout the Creston Valley and East Shore have received suggestions that they split funding requests among the town and regional areas.

The largest request came from the Creston Valley Seniors’ Association, which asked for $9,900 to repaint the centre’s exterior. Coun. Judy Gadicke asked if they had requested funds from the regional directors as well.

“Yes, but those requests are for other projects,” a group spokesman explained.

Announcements on the funding decisions will be made later this month.