The Grand River Conservation Authority will be spending $1.3-million in new facilities at three conservation areas, thanks to grants from the provincial and federal governments.
The GRCA will receive a total of $867,000 in grants, split between the Recreation Infrastructure Canada Program (RInC) and the Ontario Recreation Program (Ontario REC).
The GRCA will be paying the remaining $433,000 of the total cost for those three projects.
The federal and provincial programs are part of efforts to stimulate the economy and, at the same time, enhance recreational facilities, improve energy efficiency, and contribute to the health and quality of life in communities in Ontario.
The money will be spent on:
– a new $300,000 gatehouse at Brant Conservation Area, Brantford, to replace the existing structure built in 1971;
– new washroom facilities worth $700,000 at Elora Gorge Conservation Area; and
– new washroom facilities worth $300,000 at Guelph Lake Conservation Area.
At the Elora Gorge and Guelph Lake parks, the existing washrooms do not meet current standards and do not have enough capacity to meet the growing demand from campers and day-use visitors. New washrooms will include toilets and showers, and will be barrier-free.
Work on the projects is expected to start later this year and be complete by the summer of 2010
The GRCA operates 12 conservation areas which annually record more than 1.1 million paid visits.
Eight of the parks have a total of 2,500 campsites, making the GRCA the province’s second largest camping provider, after Ontario Parks. The GRCA parks also offer a wide range of other recreational activities, from hiking and fishing to canoeing and tubing.
The GRCA parks are operated on a break-even basis but budgets for upgrades and improvements are tight.
“Capital repairs need to be made, but it’s hard to find money,” GRCA chair man Alan Dale, said at a ceremony at Brant Conservation Area, where a grant announcement was made.
