ST. PETER’S: Organizations in Richmond County were recently approved for funding through the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism, and Heritage.
In a press release issued on April 27, Richmond MLA Trevor Boudreau announced that three non-profit groups will receive a total of $154,000.
Boudreau confirmed that the Village Fitness Centre Co-operative Ltd. was approved for $75,350 to support the purchase of fitness equipment and to open a new fitness centre in St. Peter’s. After the gym closed last year, the MLA said the community said it wanted some kind of fitness facility.
“This is highlighting some of the recreation/outdoor type stuff; getting back into it. The same idea with the gym in St. Peter’s; there was kind of a need that I noticed, and we floated through those channels,” he told The Reporter. “They formed a co-operative and worked with the village (commission) to look at the old NSLC site but it needed some work and they needed equipment so that’s where we were able to come in and support them on that initiative.”
The Petit de Grat Red Caps Baseball Club was approved for $51,200 to complete upgrades, including new canteen equipment, a new patio roof and deck, electrical upgrades, drainage improvements, and work on the ball field, Boudreau said.
“There’s more needs there as well, so there’s still work to be done on that back wall. We tried to frame something that was appropriate to get things up to snuff everywhere else, and get ready for that next ask after that,” he said. “That field is so important to all of Richmond County, it’s used by everybody. If you keep it at a great standard, you can house lots of tournaments, and that’s the idea; drawing people in to the communities.”
Boudreau said Development Isle Madame Association will receive $27,450 to erect and repair signage highlighting attractions in the Isle Madame area.
“It actually came up on a Facebook post that somebody had posted. There was talk about not a lot of good signage on the island, promoting what the island has to offer, and then some more signage around the island as well,” he said. “This was a first step. We looked it and said, ‘what can we do short term,’ and then really look at big picture idea of what could be done in the future for supporting businesses and tourism on the island. This is the first part of it, just seeing if we could get some money to clean that up when you’re coming onto the island, as well as some other areas around the island.”
According to the Progressive Conservative caucus, this funding aligns with Nova Scotia’s Cultural Action Plan which aims to promote and celebrate Nova Scotia’s culture, as well as “Let’s Get Moving Nova Scotia,” which is a plan to create a healthier, inclusive, and more active population.
“These organizations are at the core of building healthy communities,” Boudreau added in the press release. “This funding will assist them improve and increase the scope of services that they can provide to the people of Richmond.”