Book not closed on library grant yet

Ken Johnston

What’s closed for good, may not be closed for good.
A few weeks ago Rainy River town councillor Brent Anderson read from a letter to council from the Ontario Trillium Foundation stating that because the RR Centennial Committee’s final report had not be filed with the foundation that future Trillium grant applications could be in jeopardy.
Anderson told council that Trillium had tried to get the report several times and finally closed the file. He informed council that once it was closed that was it.
That sent shock waves through Councillor Debbie Ewald’s body as the Rainy River Public Library Board has actively been working on an application for Trillium funds to improve the library. At the time she said, “It would be unfortunate if the library suffers because we didn’t do the paperwork for another organization.”
However, while she could not talk about a specific grant file, Trillium’s Regional Project Manager Maureen Brophy in Thunder Bay said, “Once a file is closed it can be reopened. The process would be to call us right away.”
She would not comment on the status of Centennial Committee’s file due to confidentiality rules. However, she did say that the Trillium foundation makes several attempts to get a report or any information that might be missing from a report, before closing the file.
Councillor Ewald noted at last week’s council meeting that the application from the library is moving forward. They are hoping to get $15,000 in grant monies to help fill the family literacy grant in the region.