Lacombe County agreed on Thursday to contribute just over $312,000 to City of Lacombe recreation and cemetery projects.
The city requested the funding as part of a long-running practice that sees the county contribute to projects that benefit residents of the rural municipality.
Funding amounts requested were based on the amount that county residents are estimated to use city facilities. Previous studies established that county residents represent about 27 per cent of users.
The biggest chunk of money will go towards a $440,750 project to create new soccer pitches on a former landfill site in the northwest corner of the city. The county’s share of the project to add fill at the site, design soccer pitches, seed and fence the area will be $147,272.
A $370,000 project has also been proposed to upgrade the boiler at the city’s arena.
The county’s share will be $98,420. Another $33,012 of county cash will go towards an $84,000 project to upgrade lockers at the aquaplex.
Lacombe Memorial Centre will also get a new dance floor as part of a $15,000 project that would include a $1,650 county contribution.
The county will also contribute $40,875 towards a project to expand the city’s Fairview Cemetery, which is short of plots. That project is worth $81,750.
Councillor Brenda Knight questioned whether the amount of money allocated would fit in with a recreation master plan that is already in the planning stages at the county.
“I think the decisions we make here today are going to set some precedents for that,” she said.
County commissioner Terry Hager said the city’s funding requests were in line with what’s been agreed to in past years and meets the county’s goal of providing its fair share of funding for facilities used by its residents.