More than $550,000 in grants to Langley community groups will mean everything from a new truck for animal control workers to new rugby fields in Milner.
The grants are Community Gaming Grants, which are funded through casino and lottery revenues. This year, $5 million was earmarked for capital grants, which are for buildings, property, renovations, or other physical and long-term goods.
The projects in Langley are:
• $40,750 for a new Langley Animal Protection Society control truck, including outfitting it for safely transporting animals. LAPS currently has four vehicles, and two of them need to be retired due to age and high mileage.
• $250,000 for the Foundry Langley Gathering and Inclusivity spaces. The Langley Encompass Support Services Society is running the project to bring a Foundry center to Langley.
Foundry locations provide physical and mental health resources for local youths.
The money in this grant will specifically go to a renovation project at the Foundry’s location at 20618 Eastleigh Crescent, to crate the Gathering and Inclusivity spaces in the new centre. The space will include a demonstration kitchen, a large group room, and a multi-purpose room.
There will also be an Indigenous support office, a circle room for healing and spiritual practices, and a separate adjacent waiting room.
• Another $250,000 grant will be given to the Langley Rugby Club for the addition of a second natural grass playing field at their Milner facility.
The club announced a year ago that the deal for the new location had been closed, allowing them to expand their longtime Crush Crescent facility, adding not just another playing field but more parking for players and spectators.
The additional field will allow the club to more easily run tournaments, as well as to provide more field time for their youth programs, which were growing rapidly before the pandemic.
Plans were also underway for a new clubhouse. The club has owned their main field, not far off Glover Road, since 1987, but it had been playing locally for years before that. In 2018, it celebrated its 50th anniversary.
READ ALSO: Deal will add second playing field at Langley Rugby Club
• $22,170 for the Langley Curling Club’s upgrade to its overhead camera systems and monitors, which are placed over the two houses on each ice sheet and allow for accurate measurement and scoring.
The system is used in both technical analysis during competitive play, and for helping players develop and improve their games.
The new version of the technology will allow the club to livestream its games, and give coaches new tools.
“This round of gaming grants will be incredibly impactful in our community,” said Megan Dykeman, MLA for Langley East. “I’m especially looking forward to seeing the renovations at Foundry Langley, an organization that will offer mental health and substance youth support, as well as primary care for vulnerable youth.”
“Grants like these support a large range of important services and activities for people in Langley – including sports!” said Langley MLA Andrew Mercier. “Funding for improvements and upgrades to both the curling and rugby clubs means more people will be able to get out and enjoy local sports and recreation.”
The Community Gaming Grants program distributes $140 million to about 5,000 community service organizations across B.C. every year, including sports leagues, arts and culture groups, environmental organizations, health and social services agencies, and parents advisory councils in schools.
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