Russell Township and Casselman receive UCPR funds for projects

On February 28, United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) council approved applications from the mayors of Russell Township and Casselman for grants from the Regional Community Investment Fund (RCIF). Russell Township is receiving $30,000 and Casselman is receiving $11,000. Russell Township will use the funding to eliminate the need for paid memberships for residents to use the Russell Township Sports Dome and indoor walking track.
During the past five years, the Township of Russell has generated an average of approximately $40,000 annually in revenues from memberships for the walking/running track. The UCPR funding is intended to counterbalance this revenue stream, significantly broadening access to the track.
“It’s going to be a wonderful benefit to our community as a whole,” Mayor Pierre Leroux said.
Russell Township intends to continue using RCIF dollars to eliminate the need for paid sports dome and walking track memberships in 2025 and 2026, as long as RCIF funding from the UCPR remains available. The $30,000 in funding for 2024 is intended to cover the remaining nine months of the year while $40,000 will be requested for each of the following two years.
Casselman Mayor Geneviève Lajoie requested $5,000 from the RCIF to help Maison Interlude House continue 24-hour service with its assistance to female victims of intimate partner violence.
Lajoie also requested $6,000 from the RCIF for a mosaic mural project. The tiles are being purchased from artists in Alberta and community volunteers in Casselman will paint the tiles according to a colour guide and assemble a mural of a tree. The mosaic mural will be unveiled in June at the public library in Casselman.