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Key players at the celebration
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Oakville Curling Club Board Members
Celebrations were in order on Thursday, Jan. 19, to mark the completion of renovations to the Oakville Curling Club.
The upgrades were made possible due to a $419,400 Community Building Fund – Capital stream grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).
The OTF, an agency of the Government of Ontario, has made a lasting impact in communities throughout their 40 years of grantmaking; Last year, OTF invested nearly $209M into 2,042 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund.
Dianne Lawson, a representative for OTF, joined in the celebrations alongside Mayor Rob Burton, Ward Councillors Janet Haslett-Theall & David Gittings, representatives for Minister Anita Anand and other local community organizations and partners involved in the success of the project.
The grant was used to replace the arena floor; some portions were over 30 years old.
Oakville MPP Stephen Crawford was “delighted” by the rink upgrade as he recognized “the importance of exercise and recreation and the resulting positive impact on physical and mental health.” A new energy efficient rink floor would also “reduce the club’s carbon footprint.”
Oakville Curling Club was previously transformed in 1994, forty years after it was founded, so that it could be a premier eight sheet curling facility.
The impact of OTF's grant "cannot be overstated," says James Francolini, Board President for the Oakville Curling Club. He believes the investment serves, not just club members but, the entire community at large as the club plans to host programs by schools, organizations, and even national events.
Thanks to the OTF, the Oakville Curling Club is now expected to thrive for decades to come.
