Richard Froese
South Peace News
Big Lakes County has supported a request from an Enilda community organization to provide emergency funding to replace aging furnaces in the local bowling alley.
At its regular meeting June 14, council approved a request from the Enilda and District Society for Recreation and Culture for emergency capital funding to replace the two lower furnaces at the Enilda Mud Bowl bowling alley for $7,500.
The society requested the emergency grant fund for $7,500 – a 50 per cent contribution from council – to support and install two high-efficiency furnaces at the facility, said Dave Reynolds, director of corporate services.
However, the pot for emergency funding is dry, he told council.
“There is no emergency capital grant funding included in the 2023 budget for this project.”
Any approved funding would be a considered a budget overage.
“The society has repaired the current furnaces several times,” Reynolds noted.
“However, the furnaces are coming to their end-of-life cycle and parts to supply these repairs have become increasingly difficult to obtain.”
Aging furnaces have been a problem for the building, society vice-president Donald Carlson wrote in a letter to council.
“Some other issues are tripping breakers, the blower not kicking in and so on,” Carlson added.
“We have had multiple furnace technicians look at the furnaces and they have come up with the same conclusions.”
Council approved $52,694.99 in operating funding to EDSRC in 2023, and awarded them a $2,500 matching grant from the county’s Business Refurbishment Program April 26.