Council approved a motion this week to apply for a grant under the Municipal Sponsorship Program to complete upgrades to the Centennial Park log cabin and playground.

There is $100,000 allocated in the municipality’s 2008 Capital Budget for this project. A request for a grant of $79,367 will be submitted to the province’s Municipal Sponsorship Program, and the remainder of the $300,000 price tag will be collected through fundraising.

The proposed project involves three areas. The first is to build a facility to house activities pertaining to children and youth, as well as culture; the second is to construct a natural play space that incorporates elements such as logs, hills and boulders; and the third area is to create a wheelchair accessible playground.

Counc. Rico Damota praised the proposal, and said it would be a “huge benefit for the community.”

The Municipal Sponsorship Program was introduced ten years ago by Alberta Municipal Affairs to support projects that improve municipal governance, services, or inter-municipal cooperation. If a project falls into one of six priority categories, including recreation, a new category this year, a municipality may receive a bonus grant. 

Jasper is applying for a base grant of $37,501, plus a bonus grant that will bring the total to $79,367.

The grant proposal must be submitted by September, and though it’s unclear when the funds will become available, Director of Environmental Services Ken Quackenbush said once the project is approved, “the money just flows in.”