The Chief Administrative Officer for the Rural Municipality of Tache says they are very excited by the recent announcement from Farm Credit Canada.

FCC has committed $1.5 million for 94 community projects across the country through its AgriSpirit Fund. The RM of Tache is receiving $15,000.

Christine Hutlet says they had a few projects they wanted to tackle. They were looking to add two fire cabinets to the Lorette Complex, replace the eaves and cladding on the curling rink and make improvements to the outdoor rink. Those improvements included repairing the boards, adding gravel to raise the base and fixing drainage. This drainage work is designed to divert water away from the curling rink when the ice melts in spring.

The combined cost of all this work is $32,000. Hutlet says they applied for $15,000 and were notified that they had received that amount prior to starting the work.

According to Hutlet, they have completed about 90 per cent of the improvements. She notes all that is left is to replace the eaves and cladding around the curling rink.

Hutlet says it was a good funding announcement.

"We've been very lucky with some of the smaller grants to be able to help us with our annual operations and to see some of these projects come to fruition that we may not have been able to do otherwise," says Hutlet.

Sophie Perreault is FCC Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer. She says the AgriSpirit Fund is another opportunity for FCC to partner with community organizations that are building for today while keeping future generations in mind.

"I am extremely gratified that more than eighty per cent of the projects this year are energy-efficient or focused on waste reduction," she says. "So we are making big strides without leaving deep footprints."

This year, the FCC AgriSpirit Fund awarded between $5,000 and $25,000 for community improvement projects that enhance the lives of residents or contribute to sustainability in communities. Examples include equipment purchase and installation, energy efficient building improvements and repairs, and the purchase of rescue and fire equipment.

Over the past 16 years, the FCC AgriSpirit Fund has supported 1,263 projects, an investment of more than $15 million.