The fund to help pay for the new Bentley & District fire hall just got a big boost.
On October 8, representatives from the Red Deer district Farm Credit Canada (FCC) office presented a cheque for $20,000 to the town of Bentley from the Farm Credit Canada FCC AgriSpirit Fund.
Annually for the last ten years FCC has donated between $5,000 and $25,000 towards numerous capital projects in rural communities across Canada where the population is less than 150,000 from their AgriSpirit Fund.
Mayor Dickau sincerely thanked the FCC representatives.
This year funding to help 93 projects out of 866 applications from across Canada were approved, with about 14 projects in Alberta.
“We have a softness for fire halls,” said FCC District Director Matt Olson, who explained the selection committee felt this to be a very good project.
Town CAO Elizabeth Smart had applied just a few months earlier.
The $1.8 million joint project between the town of Bentley and Lacombe County held a sod turning in early July.
“We will have it (the town’s share) paid off by 2016, and with no rise in taxes,” noted a smiling Mayor Dickau.
The 7,680 square-foot building on 5 acres of land should serve the area for 35-50 years and was designed to provide for easy future expansion explained Dickau.
Timcon Construction Limited from Red Deer was awarded the construction contract.
It is hoped the building will be completed in early 2014 with landscaping left until spring. The building is being enclosed now.