The South East Cornerstone Public School Division committed $225,000 toward an Estevan project that will see new track and field facilities constructed at the Estevan Comprehensive School grounds.
An Estevan committee that was formed to make a bid to host the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games made their written pitch to the regional school division's board of trustees in time for them to address the request at their Aug. 22 regular business session.
The motion to provide the $225,000 to support the rebuilding of a track facility on the ECS grounds was put forward by Estevan trustee Pam Currie, who noted that if the full amount was granted, it would represent about one-third of the expected total cost of the needed rebuild of the track and field facilities at ECS, which have been in a state of disrepair for several years.
The project would include an athletes' pavilion on the school's property.
The trustees agreed to a five-year amortization period for the amount, beginning with the 2014-15 budget.
"There is the understanding that the track has to be built on ECS property," said chairman Harold Laich.
"There should also be a clear understanding that the track will belong to the school and the school division after it's built. Are the other contributors going to challenge that?" added trustee Audrey Trombley.
Estevan trustee Janet Foord said the management agreement between the school divisions and communities covers that contingency.
Weyburn trustee Bryan Wilson said he would support the motion, "but it's a question that will roll across the division year-after-year. We should have some options to address these kinds of situations in years to come."
Laich said there had already been like-minded requests for support funding coming from Wawota and Lampman in the past, so it would be up to the board to provide direction on how to handle them with consistency.
"Under the new provincial funding formula, we'll need something concrete," said Wilson, referring to the fact that school divisions no longer have the ability to raise funds through local property tax systems, but now have to rely on a universal funding plan rolled out by the provincial government.
Currie said the Estevan committee should know whether its bid has been successful or not by October.
"But they'll be going ahead with a new track, regardless of the outcome of the bid right?" asked trustee Carol Flynn.
She was assured that was the case.
There was some follow up discussion regarding the exact location for the new track, as the motion passed unanimously.
Following the vote, Laich noted that "finally, after Weyburn getting everything, Estevan finally got something."
The light hearted comment, referring to the recent major investments in renovations and additions to Weyburn Comprehensive School and other Weyburn facilities, brought forth a few chuckles and Weyburn trustee Len Williams couldn't let the moment pass without a final word.
"Weyburn's track was fully funded by local contributors and the school and still is," he said with a smile. "I just couldn't let Harold's comment go without a response."
