RDKB agenda puts $25,853 toward Boundary community projects
This is from the society’s official West Boundary Connect site. Photo credit visible on the image:
Photo: Peter Kalasz
RDKB agenda puts $25,853 toward Boundary community projects
A series of Grant-in-Aid requests on the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary’s Sept. 9 agenda would put $25,853 toward community projects across electoral areas C, D and E, including Halloween fireworks, skating programs, volunteer recognition and the first stage of a new Boundary Heritage website.
The proposed grants range from $138 for Food Safe training in Rock Creek to $5,000 for a Christina Lake volunteer appreciation event.
In Area C, Christina Gateway was recommended for $5,000 to hold an event recognizing volunteers involved with community organizations and committees. The application lists the grant as covering the full cost of the event.
The Christina Lake Firefighters Society was recommended for $3,500 toward a Halloween fireworks display with an estimated total cost of $6,000, while the Moody Quilters of Christina Lake were recommended for $1,500 toward the 2027 West Kootenay Quilt Conference, scheduled for April 24. The conference has an estimated cost of $2,500, with Christina Lake Community Hall rental among the major expenses.
The agenda also proposed $6,000 for the Phoenix Foundation’s 2026-27 Vital Signs report for the Boundary, divided evenly among electoral areas C, D and E. The foundation’s application says the funding would support public engagement, planning with area directors, data analysis, publication and presentations connected to the report.
In Area E, the agenda proposed $1,215 for a skating-skills and learn-to-skate program in Midway. The Midway Community Association’s application asked for $1,213, while the Area E director marked $1,215 for approval. The total project cost was listed at $3,714, with additional funding identified from the Midway Community Association and Midway Volunteer Fire Department.
The Rock Creek Women’s Institute was recommended for $138 to cover online Food Safe training for two members.
At Big White, the Big White Mountain Community Development Association was recommended for $4,500 for new flooring at the Early Learning Centre. The amount matches the full project cost listed in the application.
The package also includes proposed funding for a Boundary Heritage website being developed by Trails to the Boundary Society.
The society applied for $5,000 from Area E for the project, while the Area E director approved $4,000 to go forward to the board. Trails to the Boundary had already received $2,000 from Area C in August for the same project.
The society describes the project as a Boundary-wide, wiki-style heritage database that would allow historical material to be organized and cross-referenced by people, places and events.
The work is planned in three phases. The first would create the database and underlying architecture, the second would build a public website and make the collection searchable, and the third would allow members of the public to submit material and comments for review by community administrators.
The current phase-one project cost is listed at $7,000. If the proposed $4,000 Area E contribution is ultimately approved, RDKB Grant-in-Aid funding from areas C and E would account for $6,000 of that amount.
Trails to the Boundary says material is already being gathered for the project. Its application says 163 known sawmills have been identified in the West Boundary, along with research into tie hackers, and that further work is planned in the East Boundary. The group is also collecting stories connected to the 2015 wildfire season.
According to the application, the project is intended to complement existing museums and archives while bringing together local historical material that is now spread across community collections, websites and social-media discussions.
The Sept. 9 items appeared on the board agenda as Grant-in-Aid recommendations from the electoral areas involved. Adopted minutes confirming the board’s final decision on the package were not yet available when this story was prepared.
The RDKB’s Grant-in-Aid program allows rural electoral areas to provide funding to organizations and projects considered to benefit their communities.
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