Highlights from Tuesday’s meeting of Grande Prairie City Council:
TOP STORY: Council approves new transit routes, schedules
Transfer of social housing units to GSF
Council has approved selling 19 social housing units to the Grande Spirit Foundation for the cost of one dollar.
The province had transferred these same properties to the city in 2007 and they have since been managed by the foundation.
This transfer will allow Grande Spirit to leverage the properties to borrow for buying and building new social properties in Grande Prairie. The assessed value of the properties, which are situated in various locations around the city, is a little over $3.2 million.
This idea was contained in the City’s 2021-22 Affordable Housing Action Plan that was approved in March.
Video boards coming to Bonnetts Energy Centre
Council approved using $250,000 to replace the scoreboard at the Bonnetts Energy Centre with LED video screens.
The money had been set aside for improvements to the loading dock, but that project has been postponed to align with work Aquatera is doing nearby.
Administration says the new screens would generate $35,000 per year of advertising revenue for the city and another $30,000 annually for the Storm.
Emergency funding for the Grande Prairie Curling Centre
-Council has approved $47,439.94 in emergency community group funding for the Grande Prairie Curling Centre.
The Curling Centre is estimating a $48,000 deficit for 2021 because of the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. The money will be used for bills, payroll, and what are called “urgent facility needs.”