Thousands of dollars have been earmarked to improve a Lantzville park.
District of Lantzville councillors agreed to put as much as $3,900 to upgrading Rotary Park during a council meeting last week.
The $3,900 is the anticipated amount that councillors believe the district will receive from Island Health’s community wellness grant.
The health authority awarded $154,933 in grant money to the Regional District of Nanaimo, which is then tasked with distributing it to the various communities within its boundaries.
The money would be used to upgrade the park’s mountain bike circuit and the playground’s aging equipment.
Coun. Dot Neary said the park improvement budget is tight, adding that $3,700 has been allocated for the playground and $3,900 for the mountain bike track.
She said the extra money will provide a “cushion” in case any of the projects end up going over budget.
“It gives you some reassurance that if you come up against any issues that you weren’t anticipating, that your budget at least hopefully, will be covered,” she said.
Neary said in the event that the project doesn’t go over budget, the district does not have to return the money to the RDN, adding that there are other park projects that would qualify for the grant.
“We will be able to find a way to qualify that money and use it in a productive way,” she said.
The RDN will now determine whether Lantzville is approved for the grant and how much money the district ultimately ends up with.