Champlain Township is creating a long-term strategy for investing in future community projects.
Township council approved the creation of a new Regional Community Investment Fund based on recommendations in an administration report during its October 22 session.
The aim of the new reserve fund is for future funding of specific improvement or development projects that help improve the community overall. The money in the fund will come from the township’s annual share of the United Counties of Prescott-Russell’s (UCPR) $50,000 grants to each of its eight member municipalities through its own Regional Community Investment Fund program.
The UCPR developed its regional community investment fund in 2023 and approved the fund sharing policy the following year so Champlain Township now has an accumulated $150,000 as of this year from the UCPR’s regional community investment fund. This money was not included in the municipality’s 2025 budget so township administration recommend creating a special reserve fund for the annual UCPR grant and use the money for specific approved projects. All future such grants from the UCPR will go into the new reserve fund.
Township administration recommended that funding from the new reserve fund go towards costs of building a pavilion at L’Orignal Park and also relocating the existing tennis court at the park to a new and more suitable location. Municipal staff are working out the costs for these two improvement projects at the community park and will include them in the upcoming 2026 municipal budget preliminary report. Staff will also determine if funding for the tennis court relocation could be covered through an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant application.
Ward Three Councillor Paul Burroughs asked if improvements to the Chalet d’abri could be financed through the new reserve fund. He noted that the building helps serve winter recreation activities in the park.
Chief Administrator Kevin Tessier said “keeping it and renovating it” is the goal for the chalet, pending a future report on the overall condition of the building.
