Lacombe County council has requested a few minor tweaks to its long-awaited Regional Recreation Plan.
CDC Consultants presented a draft summary report to council last week and a few minor adjustments were requested by council, said Terry Hager, county commissioner.
The plan will then be reviewed by council during a workshop early next year, he said.
“From there, we’ll receive some direction from council relative to preparing and updating a number of our recreational policies.”
The county embarked on a recreation plan after being faced with a growing number of requests for recreational funding help by rural communities faced with aging facilities. Council wanted a consistent approach and a standardized criteria for weighing requests.
Under the plan, county financial support for district facilities located in urban municipalities within the county will receive money based on cost-sharing operating deficits. How much facilities get will depend on the percentage of county users.
Regional facilities, such as arenas, pools and performing arts centres, will be treated in a similar fashion.
District arenas and community halls will be handled a little differently. They are eligible for a portion of net operating costs or flat grants — $30,000 a year for arenas and $3,500 for community halls.
A new initiative for the county will see curling rinks eligible for annual operating grants of $5,000.
Community facilities, which are located in rural areas in the county, will receive annual grants ranging from $3,500 to $750 depending on the type of facility.
The final version of the plan is expected to be passed early next year.