Town council in Bonnyville has a few ideas on where potential funding from the ID 349 redistribution could end up. Council discussed possible plans in their lates council meeting. Mayor Gene Sobolewski and town CAO Mark Power are due to have a meeting in the next few weeks where they can present capital projects the town would like to see funding on.
Councillor Brian McEvoy says he’d like to see funding go towards helping emergency departments in both Cold Lake and Bonnyville.
“There are issues at both emerg departments, both here and Cold Lake. There are things as simple as the Cold Lake ambulance bays are too narrow to fit modern ambulances so everyone is unloading outside in the parking lot 365 days a year.”
Also talked about was the ICIP grant funding. In May, the town conducted a survey to see where that funding could potentially go. A new pool was the number one answer.
Mayor Sobolewski says when it comes to a pool he’d like the pitch to be as precise on what the town wants as possible.
“We need to reconcile what it is exactly what we want. I don’t want a runaway like we had with different ideas for ball diamonds and skateparks or things like that.
A fine arts facility to replace the Lyle Victor Albert Centre is also high on the list for negotiations. Any allocation of money will come after the taxes for ID 349 are received in July.