The Town of Davidson is over $13,000 richer thanks to a couple provincial grants that have recently come into its coffers.

Trevor Ouellette, Davidson recreation director, said the first grant for $10,000 would be put towards the costs associated with upgrading the electrical system at Town Hall as well as installing a rooftop heating and cooling unit for the town community centre. He said the second grant for $3,450 would be split between helping purchase uniforms for the Davidson School Raiders junior and senior football teams and also for the implementation of an after-school grassroots youth soccer program to begin play next fall.

Ouellette said the first grant, received last week through the CIF (Community Initiatives Fund-community vitality program), is “great” because it can be stacked on top of another grant. The $10,000 will be added to the recent $29,875 in funding the town was approved for last month by the CIIF (Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund) for the installation of the air-conditioning unit.

“Originally planning to be a $60,000 project that was basically taxpayers’ money, we now have taken it down to $20,000, so we have raised $40,000 through grants,” said Ouellette. “It is now a more feasible project to do instead of a wish list project. It is now a third of the dollars. The town is really excited about moving forward on the project.”

The $60,000 project is broken down into two phases. The first phase, to be completed between July 30, 2012, and March 31, 2013, will involve wiring improvements to the Town Hall. The second phase will see the installation of an air-conditioner for the community centre, to be completed between April 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014.

Ouellette said the second grant for $3,450, delivered through the Saskatchewan In Motion community subsidy program, is geared towards making programs more accessible that promote an active lifestyle. He said the money received could be used for new programming or for minor equipment purchases.

“What I’ve been able to do is fully fund a program that will be implemented next fall and it is geared towards young children aged five to 11 as a target group,” he said. “It’ll be youth soccer. I have a grassroots program that I’ve used in other towns and it’s just designed to get the kids active in a non-competitive environment. There will be no scoreboards and no score sheets. It is to get out there and have fun.”

To read more please see the December 10 print edition of The Davidson Leader.