Port to look for golf course grant

Port district commissioners approved a plan at their meeting last Thursday to seek a grant to fix up the Banks Lake Golf Course.

The idea came from Frank Andrews Jr., a planner and grant writer for the Colville Confederated Tribes.

Andrews called commissioners’ attention to grants offered by Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office that cover golf courses, as well as other types of projects.

Commissioners listed and then quickly approved a plan to proceed with the grant plan.

Accordingly, Port District 7 will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 12, at the meeting room at the golf course to seek public input on the grant idea.

The RCO grant has a $500,000 cap, with some matching obligations.

Andrews stated that some matching provisions allow for in-kind work, land and other assets.

The district will enter its third year of operating the golf course next spring, and has made substantial investments in the 18-hole facility. This last season saw the port make improvements to the course even though it used primarily volunteer help.

Eligible projects for the grant, in addition to golf courses, include athletic fields, marine facilities, community gardens, shooting and archery ranges, ski areas, ice skating ponds, swim beaches, pools, trails, and a variety of other things.

Andrews told commissioners that public input was a necessary ingredient of the grant application, which he said he would write without cost to the district.

“I am an enthusiastic golfer myself,” Andrews told the commissioners.

Deadline for submitting the grant request is February with grants awarded in July, Andrews stated.

Just how any grant monies would be used will come from community input and a plan by commissioners.

For a list of available RCO grants, see http://www.rco.wa.gov/grants/.