By Morinville News Staff
Morinville – The community’s teen centre will get a slight facelift after Council voted to approve a community grant to the Morinville Lions Club to replace the skirting around the building.
The Lions Club’s initial request was presented in mid-June when the club sought $1,535.64 for beautifications to Lions Park. The amount was first whittled down to $1,100 and then tabled until a future intake. The delay was due to the club’s plans to upgrade the skirting around the teen centre, a facility whose future use and location was not known at that time. Lions Club member Francis Fryters subsequently met with the Town and it has been decided the centre will remain where it is for the time being.
But there is more to the grant request than putting some plywood around the base of the building. “What his application is about is beautifying the park,” said Community Services Director Kerry Dawson, noting the service club had included a map of the planned upgrades with their revised presentation.
The June 26 grant request sought $2,091.31, monies that will help fund the re-skirting of the centre, pay for the replacement of some of the boards in the building’s deck, and assist with the re-landscaping of the park, including flower beds, hedges and the removal of some of the older trees.
With respect to the teen centre improvements, Dawson said the skirting will help somewhat. “It is slightly more but I do think it would be worth it,” she said. “I don’t know how you would make that building attractive, but I think it would be less unattractive.”
Councillor Lisa Holmes objected to the increase to the initial request and asked the amount to be amended to $1,500, largely on the basis that the Community Garden, located across the road, managed to create a garden and park from scratch with a budget of $5,000 from the town. The rest was privately fundraised.
The funding request approval for $1,500 was approved and puts the second quarter grant intake $1,300 over its $5,325 budget for March to June.
Lions Park is located across from the arena and is situated between the Seniors Rendez-Vous Centre and the Teen Centre.
