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A loan like money in the bank
It's a unique thing to see the Bonner Boys asking for help. This dedicated group of (relatively) young men are usually the ones looking to help others, which they have done numerous times over the last few years, aided in no small part by their remarkable fund-raising skills,
On Monday, however, Brett Meyers was in front of council, almost apologizing for the fact that the splash pad project, which the Bonner Boys promoted to council and now is finally under construction, was going to have to be scaled back. It seemed the project was going to be $70,000 over the estimated $450,000 budget. The only way to cut the cost was to eliminate the proposed pavilion ($50,000) and the stone seating for the amphitheatre ($20,000). But Mr. Meyers and the Bonner Boys are not content to see the splash pad be anything less than what they promised the public. To that end, Mr. Meyers was asking council to work with his group to find the extra $70,000. He suggested that perhaps council might consider giving the group a loan.
Despite what some residents of the township might think, council is not usually given to providing financial help to charities, however noble the cause - at least, not without much discussion. There was not much discussion about the request for this loan, however. Councillors generally lauded the Bonner Boys for the community work they have done and Regional Councillor Jack Ballinger had no hesitation in asking that the group be given a $75,000 interest-free loan. Councillor Pat Mikuse, ever the practical one, put in the stipulation that the loan be repaid within two years. And the loan was eventually reduced to the asked for $70,000.
With the Bonner Boys, that loan is like money in the bank.
Mr. Meyers pointed out that the group had raised $15,000 last weekend alone, mainly through their ever-popular dunk tank at the Fall Fair. That little gizmo alone has raised untold thousands in funds for the group over the years. We, ourselves, have spent a small fortune in our attempts to dunk such notables as former Mayor Bob Shepherd and former Regional Councillor Howie Herrema. Given their past fund-raising success, we see no need to worry about the loan being paid off. We would even go so far as to predict it will be paid off well before the two-year deadline approaches.
Of course, council has experience with giving financial help to proven fund-raisers. The prime example is the loan the township made to the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario for the purchase of the old St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Leaskdale in 2006. That loan was for over $200,000 and the LMMSO paid it off right smart, ahead of schedule. This is not to suggest council should - or will - entertain other such requests from similar charitable groups, no matter how laudable their aims and causes. But in the cases of the Bonner Boys and the LMMSO, the township benefits as a whole by helping them.
Through the hard work of the LMMSO, the manse and the church in Leaskdale are being restored and renovated and they are bringing tourists into town. And the number of tourists will continue to grow as more people realize it is not Anne of Green Gables we should be celebrating, but the author herself. The 15 years in Leaskdale were a major, important part of her life.
Through the imagination and creativeness of the Bonner Boys, the township will have a splash pad at the arena, complete with a pavilion for shade, seating for parents to watch from as their youngsters play and slides down the hill. As well, they are reshaping the toboggan hill for winter fun. Another thing about the Bonner Boys. All their fund-raisers are fun and about having fun. The car draw is basically a raffle draw, but the Bonner Boys turn it into an event with a dance and fun and games for the ticket holders. They hold golf tournaments and hockey tournaments and those are all about fun. And the dunk tank speaks for itself.
Perhaps because of their continuing support of the Bonner Boys and the splash pad - the township contributed $150,000 to the cause - members of council can expect to be excused from being asked in the future to take a seat in the dunk tank.
July 14, 2011
