The North Arm Cove Community has a good record of successful grant applications. Some of the major projects funded by grants include several upgrades to the Community Centre, establishment of Yallarwah Park, the defibrillator and the construction of the tennis court. We received a $56,000 grant last year for the Community Centre for an electrical upgrade and a water tank and Council also has some grant money for solar panels.
Covid-19 stimuli have resulted in a lot of new grants being available this year. With the help of many residents, the NACCAi committee has been involved in some more applications in the last few months.
Some of the current applications include:
Yallarwah Park- Upgrade to the walking track, installation of exercise equipment and general tidy up- two different grant applications.
Community Centre- Restoration of the area between the tennis court and Community Centre, sealing of the front driveway and some landscaping.
Casuarina Park- Playground equipment
Heros Beach- Sealing the driveway and parking area, picnic furniture, canoe racks and drainage.
We will be lucky to get even one of these grants. However, the applications can be resubmitted as more grants become available.
It is a lot of work to submit a grant. You need to work out the scope of the project and get everyone’s agreement, get Council approval as the landowner, get plans drawn up and then get quotes or estimates. Contingency allowances are often required if firm quotes cannot be obtained. If it costs too much, the plans need to be modified and everyone consulted again. Some grants ask whether you can accept a lower amount of money and only do part of the work. The forms that must be filled in are onerous and require lots of details about things such as public liability insurance, a risk assessment and so on. It all takes our volunteers many days to put it all together.
Some of the problems that arise are surprising. A project may seem easy, but sometimes there are unexpected pitfalls. For example, Council looks at long term liability of all equipment and whether they have the manpower to do inspections and maintenance. Some equipment has to be cyclone proof so that it cannot get blown away and damage houses. If there is not an approved master plan, Council may also need to consult any neighbours if changes are being made to public parks.
We won’t know till the end of the year whether we have received all or part of any of these grants. Then comes the hard part of implementing the projects. NACCAi is our incorporated body that receives the grant funding and releases the money. Project management is generally carried out by a committee. Council’s approval is required at all stages of any project.
Currently we have a committee developing a Community Plan. In the future, priority will be given to projects listed in the Community Plan.
Thank you to all the helpers behind the scenes for all your work. Volunteers for the last couple of rounds of grants include Darryl Drake, Robert Van Zandvliet, Tim Nolan, Gary Sylvaney, Shawna Hartley, Elizabeth Dean, David Read and Bob Reid. Your time and effort is much appreciated.
