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No federal stimulus funds for New Tec

NEW TECUMSETH COUNCIL NOTES

BY Maija Hoggett June 23, 2009 18:06

New Tec left out of federal stimulus funding

Coun. Dennis Egan wants to get to the bottom of why New Tecumseth didn't receive any funding in the federal infrastructure money recently handed out.

In May New Tecumseth created a prioritized list for recreation projects for the Recreation Infrastructure Canada Program in Ontario and the Ontario Recreation Program, which has the federal, provincial and municipal governments each footing a third of the cost for a project. At the top of the project list was the Rotary Pool in Alliston, followed by the Beeton Park playground and Tottenham's Boulevard Park.

Simcoe-Grey MP Helena Guergis was in the riding recently to announce projects receiving funding, but New Tecumseth projects weren't among them.

"It was a little disheartening to see after all the work staff had done... that once again we have been turned down. It seems to be a trend both provincially and federally," said Egan.

Mayor Mike MacEachern said town staff requested a meeting with Guergis' staff after realizing it was left out of the funding announcements. That meeting occurred last week.

He said there is an issue for the town in accessing government money.

"We plan for projects fairly regularly so we're not able to pull out a project, design and build them in a short timeframe," said MacEachern.

If that's the case, Egan said the town shouldn't be penalized for being prudent.

"We should be penalized, if anything we should go to the head of the line," he said.

Egan said the town isn't taking a hard enough stance to access funding opportunities.

"If the squeaky wheel gets the grease maybe it's time we stopped playing nice and played a little hardball," said Egan.

Library to be Renamed for Kirkpartrick

New Tecumseth staff is already working on securing a new location for the Tottenham library and the branch is getting a new name as well.

The New Tecumseth Library Board has received an anonymous request to name the branch after former New Tecumseth Public Library CEO Pam Kirkpatrick, who died in 2006.

She was a library board trustee from 1990 to 1994 and was the CEO from 1994 to 2003, when she became ill.

Kirkpatrick's husband Rob and daughter Lori, support renaming the branch in her memory.

The Tottenham library branch is currently housed out of the Tottenham Mall while a new, permanent location is secured.

If the renaming process moves ahead the temporary branch will be renamed the Pam Kirkpatrick Branch, as well as the future facility.

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