Following community stakeholder sessions hosted by Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) last fall, the Lower Columbia Priorities Plan (LCPP) was formed to push $600,000 into the Lower Columbia Region.
Through these stakeholder sessions, the LCPP identified main priorities in economic and tourism development, local governance, community services for children, families, seniors and others in need, arts, culture and heritage and lastly recreation.
Chair of the committee Bruce LeRose described CBT’s involvement with the sessions as very comprehensive.
“We hired a consultant to assist us and we had an online survey, we had focus groups amongst stakeholders in the Lower Columbia and then we had open sessions in each community and the consultant led the discussion and we had the opportunity to ask the community what they thought was important,” explained LeRose.
The funds will be allocated over the next two years (2015-16) through the Community Direct Funds (CDF) Program. Possible partners and projects will be identified over the coming months through meetings with the CDF committee.
“The benefits of the funding is going to be very important for the Lower Columbia Region,” said LeRose. “The Lower Columbia is a tight region geographically and it’s going to give the five communities within its circumference a real opportunity to benefit.”
The Lower Columbia Region includes the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Boundary and Areas A and B along with other cities west of the Kootenays.