Local town and municipal councils are joining together to try to reap the benefits of a grant for the entire region. At each respective regular council meeting of the communities, they spoke of municipal sponsorship programs which will benefit each community, including McLennan, Donnelly, Falher, Girouxville, and the M.D. Of Smoky River. The grant will be for just under $120,000 and will be allocated to each community based on a per capita basis. Each community will receive $9 per capita, which breaks down to: M.D. of Smoky River – $22,094, Town of Falher – $11,469, Town of McLennan – $10,416, Village of Donnelly $5,637, and Village of Girouxville $5,538 for a total of $55,154. There will also be a regional incentive uplift of 35 per cent ($19,304), and a 60 per cent uplift for priority project incentive (base plus 35 per cent) of $44,675 for a grand total of $119,133. The grant deadline is Sept. 30. There is a regional meeting to be held on Sept. 23 to further discuss the use of the funds and the allocation of the money. Currently the councils have agreed on various projects. MIMS (Municipal Infrastructure Management System) is a new program that is currently required in the region. The MD of Smoky River will be the host council administering and installing the program. Each community stands to benefit from the inclusion of the software. A total of $60,000 will be allocated to the program. It will provide infrastructure information on the system for all capital assets. “With the program the region will be able to enter all data into the system to better grasp our financial situation,” explains Town of Falher CAO Gerard Nicolet. “It will allow a preparation of all tangible capital assets in the region.” The $60,000 will include the purchase of the software, collection, conversion and input of the data. A second project will be the improvement of the Regional Swimming Pool in Falher. A total of $20,000 of the grant will be used to repair various problems at the pool. “Falher is hosting the repairs of the pool, including the exterior siding, painting and concrete repairs between the school and the pool area,” says Nicolet. Municipal building energy retrofit projects are also in store for the region. Falher Library will be updating many of the electrical issues in the building including changing all flourescent light fixtures to energy efficient units. The total allocated is $3,500. McLennan needs to replace the roofing on municipal office and the library. The cost allocated from the grant is $15,000. Girouxville town office will be given $15,000 from the grant, if it is obtained, for replacing of all windows on the municipal office. Donnelly town office will be replacing the furnace to be more energy efficient, with a total of $6,500 from the grant. Each community is required to take part in at least one of the projects to get the grant. The communities are working closely together to attempt to acquire the money to commence various endeavours in the region.