The news is good if you are an athlete, youngster, music lover or community landscaper.
Last Thursday, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary green-lighted funding allocations from five jurisdictions, totalling over $300,000 from the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) Community Initiatives Program.
The City of Trail had over $100,000 to divvy up between various community associations and non-profits.
Topping the list is the Greater Trail Pickleball Community, which received $10,000 to convert tennis courts to pickleball courts. Although pickleball appears to be very similar to tennis, it is more accessible to a wider range of players, particularly, children and seniors.
On the ice, the Trail Smoke Eaters and the Beaver Valley Nitehawks can continue the quest to excel in its respective leagues, with grants of $10,000 and $4,180 respectively.
Youth in Greater Trail will benefit from the $10,000 that is earmarked for the Columbia Youth Development Centre; which will be applied to the future urban all-wheel skatepark.
The after-school band program which is held in the Trail Alliance Church every Tuesday received $10,000 to continue to engage kids and adult beginners in musical endeavours.
In a few months, residents may note a flurry of activity at the intersection of Laburnum Drive and Highway 3B, as the Kiwanis Club of Trail was allocated $15,000 to break ground on its beautification project, a historical analemmatic(horizontal) sundial.
The plan includes a solar light to illuminate the sundial at night and an inner base of paving stones surrounded by turn, to highlight the monument against the background rock garden.
The City of Rossland had over $46,000 worth of CBT grant money, and allocated a large portion to its sporting youth.
The Red Mountain academies received almost $8,500; Black Jack Cross Country Ski Club, $2,580; and the Red Mountain Racers, $3,900.
Each of these entities offer a full-spectrum package to student athletes, aged 13-18 years, including coaching and educational options to meet training and competitive needs.
The Rossland Historical Museum & Archives received two grants, totalling almost $5,000: to improve its sound and recording equipment; and inventory heritage homes.
In a trial project, Fruitvale, Montrose and Area A combined forces to allocate over $90,000 to its community interests which range from sports to seniors to planting community gardens.
The Beaver Valley Nitehawks Club Society was granted $14,000; and the Beaver Valley Manor Society, almost $18,000.
In two grants, the Beaver Valley Blooming Society received over $14,000 – $6,000 which is allocated for an age-friendly 2013 project and $8,800 to break ground on a community garden.
With over $30,000 to allot, Area B supported recreation.
The Red Mountain Racers and Black Jack Cross Country Ski Club each received $4,000. In addition, the Genelle Recreation Commission was granted $3,000 and the Silver City Trap and Skeet Club, $3,000.
The Village of Warfield divvied over $30,000 to community incentives which included four grants to the Webster Parents’ Advisory Council, to be used for community use building, ski days, pink shirt day and dishes.
Additionally, the village granted Scouts Canada, First Warfield Beavers, $3,300.
The Career Development Services (CDS) received grants from Trail, Rossland, Warfield, AreaA/Fruitvale/Montrose totalling over $15,000.
The CDS is contracted to provide employment supports to individuals with significant barriers to employment.
A complete list of all the community fund allocations will be available on at rdkb.com later this week.