The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Flin Flon Mayor Dennis Ballard and Creighton Mayor Bruce Fidler have announced that there has been a delay in the approval process concerning the joint application filed in February 2004 by the City of Flin Flon and the Town of Creighton for the proposed Communityplex to the Rural Municipal Infrastructure Fund (RMIF) that was announced by the Federal Government on February 12, 2004. Originally a decision on the Communityplex, which was expected by late July or early August 2004, had been delayed by the federal election, subsequent to the announcement of RMIF, and a decision is now expected no earlier than December of this year. There has been some concern raised over a letter received from the Canada Saskatchewan Infrastructure Fund (CSIP) indicating that no funding was available under CSIP for the original application, submitted on July 2003, for a Multiplex. This letter was expected, however, as the original application for a Multiplex was effectively withdrawn by Flin Flon and Creighton when the revised application for a Communityplex was filed on February 20, 2004. The bottom line is that the joint application for federal/provincial financing is still under active consideration and given the delays that have occurred, not only for our application, but all the others the respective governments have under consideration, there will be ample opportunity to fine tune our request. In the interim period the Communityplex Committee remains very active. They are currently preparing a Community Awareness Program which will address many of the questions or concerns that have been raised, and it is expected this will be available by mid-September. They are also considering a regional fundraising campaign following the Community Awareness Program. Originally, it was expected that a fundraising campaign may be necessary if there was a shortfall in the federal/provincial assistance that has been requested. We have now been informed by a spokesperson for RMIF that our application would be enhanced if a regional fundraising campaign was conducted prior to a decision by the federal/provincial governments. We are also in the process of setting up meetings with regional government representatives to confirm their support. At the present time, a presentation on the facility has been made to most, but not all, of the proposed user groups, and every effort will be made to review the proposal with those that have not yet been contacted in the near future. Public meetings are also planned as part of the Community Awareness program. Organizations or individuals with questions or concerns are encouraged to make them known, in writing, with a letter addressed to the Communityplex Committee. These letters can be dropped off at the Flin Flon City Hall or Creighton Town Office. We are encouraged by the work that has been done on the proposal to date; however, there is still a considerable amount left to be done. A major project such as this is by its nature a drawn out process, and every effort is being made to keep the public informed as developments occur or more information becomes available.
