Sackville won $15,000 after finishing first in the province during the ParticiPACTION challenge, and now residents get to choose how to spend that cash.
The town brought home the proverbial gold for spending the most active minutes in all of New Brunswick. The money will go towards one of four recreation-themed upgrades for the whole town to enjoy.
Based on a survey with just under 40 participants, Sackville’s Recreation Programs and Events Manager Matt Pryde pulled together four top priorities. Residents can now cast their votes online to choose which initiative will come to Sackville, or receive additional funding.
The four possibilities are:
- Kayak/Canoe/Paddleboard rentals and Silver Lake.
- Enhancing the existing Recreational Equipment Loan Program.
- Recreation Subsidy for individuals in children and youth sport.
- Upgrades to Walker Road Trails to improve for hiking/mountain biking.
Sackville Town council already has plans to create a recreation subsidy for youth in sport, but that should not influence which of these four options will see funding.
Pryde says that while some of the ideas up for vote overlap with council plans, and the 15K would certainly be helpful, no one but the voters will have any say in what happens with the prize money.
“This money was earned by the community, so whichever one of these four options receives the most votes is the one we’re going to go with.”
Should residents choose the Silver Lake equipment rental option, the money would purchase kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards for residents to rent out. Pryde says it’s also possible, but not certain, that this option could create a job, since someone will need to be in charge of supervising the rentals.
If Sackvillians go for enhancing what we already have and buy more equipment for the Recreational Equipment Loan Program, one of the first purchases made will be children’s snowshoes. Pryde is also toying with the idea of creating a publicly available storage unit so that residents can access the equipment 24/7 without needing help from staff.
Pryde credits the Tantramar Outdoors Club for maintaining the trails on Walker Road, but the money could help with more laborious maintenance. He says there are several “wet spots” along some of the trails that hinder things like skiing, snowshoeing, and biking, and the money would be used to fix that.
Matt Pryde is “excited” and “likes all four of these options,” and urges all residents to vote by tomorrow (Saturday, August 21). So far, 140 votes have been cast. Send yours in online here.
