Setting Priorities for the Slocan Valley Directed Fund
By Contributor
A new funding initiative in the Slocan Valley will host a series of community meetings and an online survey during September and October.
Valley residents and organizations are welcome to contribute their ideas on what valley-wide projects would benefit the area the most.
With support from Columbia Basin Trust, the Slocan Valley Economic Development Commission (a body of RDCK) is launching the Slocan Valley Directed Fund.
The CBT initiative helps sub-regions (a group of communities from a recognized area) to come together to plan, set priorities and allocate funds for the long-term betterment of the area as whole.
The funds are to benefit the entire area, not individual local community projects.
The Slocan Valley, through the Economic Development Commission will receive $300,000 in the first three years with the hope that the funding continues into the future beyond that.
According to Leah Main, Chair of the Commission, “It’s a good news story, but not without a challenge. The good news is we get $100,000 a year for three years from CBT, and get to create our priorities and the process to use the money. Doing that, of course, is also the challenge.”
There will be ten meetings held in the valley – some open community sessions, where all ideas for projects will be discussed and some meetings with a specific theme.
Anyone may attend any meeting. The consulting group Withinsight Services, of Nelson, will facilitate the meetings and produce recommendations for the Commission.
Meeting Topics and Schedule:
Open Session — Saturday (September 27) from 1-3 p.m. at Legion Hall in Slocan
Tourism and Recreation — Sunday, September 28 from 1-3 p.m. at the Silverton Memorial Hall
Social, Education and Health — Wednesday, October 1 from 7-9 p.m. at Slocan Legion Hall
Environment: Use and protection — Thursday, October 2 from 7-9 p.m. at Vallican Whole in Winlaw.
Open Session — Saturday, October 4 from 7-9 p.m. at the
Open Session — Sunday, October 5 from 7-9 p.m. at the Crescent Valley Hall
Business and Economic — Wednesday, October 8 from 7-9 p.m. at Slocan Legion Hall
Open Session — Wednesday, October 15 from 7-9 p.m. at the Socan Park Community Hall
Arts, Culture and Heritage — Thursday, October 16 from 7-9 p.m. at the Winlaw Hall
Open Session — Saturday, October 18 from 1-3 p.m. at the Bosun Hall in New Denver
The Commission will then choose a small number of priorities to fund over the next few years.
All projects must have an impact on the whole Valley in some way. According to Main, “We will thread our way through the process and create an approach for using the money that responds to needs of the broader Slocan Valley Community. This will help in a substantive way to achieve the vision of social, economic, cultural and environmental development.”
An online survey may be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/slocanvalleyand paper versions may be obtained through Village offices and the Economic Development Commission at (250) 226-0064.
