The district council grants committee, and ultimately, Sooke District Council, have tough decisions to make in terms of who will receive grants and how much they will get..

Fifteen groups seeking funding assistance made pitches to the committee on May 20. The committee, according to Councillor Ron Dumont, will likely have some related recommendations for council following its meeting of June 12.

Coun. Dumont said some of the groups known to have desired funding help had been disqualified for not having met procedural requirements as laid out by the committee.

“They came before us and made presentations,” said Dumont of the two-and-a-half hour session. “We asked them questions, then it will go to another meeting where we make the decisions and those decisions will go to the board, to council, for final approval. The organizers of the local Canada Day celebrations were among the groups seeking financial support from the district. They’re looking for $3,000 worth of help in making an extra effort to observe the province’s 150th anniversary during the July 1 event.

What follows is a brief listing of other applicants, uses for any forthcoming funds, and, in most cases, the amounts requested.

• Sooke Options for Community Living sought a grant of $12,000 to go toward the purchase of a wheelchair accessible van.

• Sooke Bike Club – $2,500 for the creation of a mural on the wall of Sooke Cycle;

• WildArc (wildlife rescue and rehabilitation) – $2,000 toward obtaining municipal water service to its Metchosin property;

• Sooke Fine Arts Society – $7,000 to upgrade lighting equipment for the Society’s annual late July, early August show;

• Edward Milne Community School:

* Theatre project – $20,000 for repairs to floors and backdrop;

* Football program – $14,000 for football equipment;

* Student bus shelter – $1,958.01 for adornment with art, and vandalism prevention;

• CASA – $10,000 for playground equipment;

• Sooke Youth Services Committee – $750 for an anatomical doll, a model for sexual education and demonstration;

• Sooke Country Market Society – $2,700 for the promotion of the market;

• Sooke Philharmonic – $15,000 toward the purchase of an extended van;

• Stage West drama group – $4,631 for current projects;

• Food Community Health Initiative (CHI) – $20,000 for completion of an agricultural project;

• Sooke Fall Fair Society – $12,000 to go toward the creation of a mural on the back wall of the Cedar Grove Shopping Centre, facing Shields Road.

Sifting through requests totalling about $240,000, the grants committee must decide how to allocate the $75,000 in grant money which is available.