It appears the township will proceed with new playground equipment at ABC Park, despite an unsuccessful grant application for the project.
Finance director Mike Givens reported last week that an application under Hydro One’s PowerPlay grant program for new playground equipment at ABC Park in Drayton was denied.
Council has earmarked $52,000 for the installation of new equipment to replace the wooden structure that was allegedly torched by three youths last summer, with $8,000 to be raised through donations ($5,000 from the Drayton Rotary Club and $3,000 from the Drayton Kinsmen Club).
The township received $6,278 from the insurance claim it filed after the old equipment was set on fire.
Givens told the Community?News the Hydro One grant was in addition to the $52,000 set out for the project in this year’s budget.
The unsuccessful application means the township will likely proceed with a $52,000 total project cost.
Givens said the municipality is currently working on a request for proposals, which it hopes to have ready by next week’s council meeting. He expects construction to begin in late June.
New radios
It wasn’t all bad News last week in terms of funding applications. Fire Chief Rick?Richardson said the township has received funding for updating the department’s radios under the federal government’s Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP).
Richardson explained the township was successful with two JEPP funding applications. The first will cover 45% of the estimated total cost of about $14,000 – to be split between the Mapleton, Minto and Wellington?North departments – for a new station and tower at Teviotdale to improve communication for all three departments.
He said tests have shown the Teviotdale location means there are “no dead spots at all” for the departments. In Mapleton, the department currently experiences radio problems near Conestogo Lake, and that will be eliminated with the new Teviotdale station.
Further costs, including renting space in?Teviotdale, are not covered by this funding.
A second JEPP grant will also help cover 45% of the estimated $9,300 cost for the Mapleton department to purchase 10 digital/analog portable radios.
Richardson said the grants are great News for the department, which had budgeted $20,000 for radio improvements this year, but will now spend far less than that.
