Sechelt Continues on “grant hunts”

The Oct 21 Council meeting saw Sechelt authorize applications for two grants and request a staff report on another Provincial funding opportunity.
The municipality will be asking for $234,600 from the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program for upgrades at Rockwood Lodge. This work is to include roof repairs, exterior painting, upgrading of the existing kitchen to a commercial standard, providing accessible washrooms along with refinishing the hardwood floors in the dining room and hallway.
The province is slated to announce the awards for these grants before March, 2021.
Sechelt is also applying to the Union of BC Municipalities for a grant to improve its digital mapping of area trails networks. If approved, the Active Transportation Planning Program will provide up to $10,000 to enhance the District’s digital data related to biking and walking trails and create a cohesive GIS layer with the data. This project will also create a trail map for the District’s website and could make a mobile app with this information available to the public. Mayor Darnelda Siegers noted that collecting this information will help the District identify areas where there are gaps in the trail system.
Dave Hawkins and Alun Woolliams of Transportation Choices Sunshine Coast (TRaC) appeared at the meeting as a delegation about that group’s 2020 Active Transportation Improvements Survey. This document provides information regarding the infrastructure needed to improve accessibility and safety for cyclists and pedestrians along the Sunshine Coast’s road networks. In their presentation, they encouraged Sechelt to explore the province’s Community Safety Enhancement Program (CSEP). That program has local government grant funding available to make safety improvements related to area roads under the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s jurisdiction. Council asked staff to prepare a report on potential opportunities under CSEP.