It may not look like winter outdoors, but the Foresters Falls Recreation Association (FFAA) is gearing up for another winter season.
Outdoor Rink Supervisors Needed
The weather has been unusually warm this December and most people are not thinking about outdoor ice, skating or shinny at this point in time, said association president Dave Alexander. However plans need to be made because he’s certain the cold weather will come.
The next step for the association is to set up a rink supervisor schedule, he said. He’s hopeful that can be arranged through emails and phone calls, because with the Christmas season here, holding a meeting just isn’t possible.
In the past, there has been skating and shinny on various nights of the week, Mr. Alexander said. There is usually skating from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and shinny from 7:30-9:00 p.m.
If an individual, or a small group of individuals, can commit to supervising one evening per week it would be greatly appreciated, he said.
“We must have committed supervisors to open the rink and make it available for our children,” Mr. Alexander stated.
If anyone is interested, please call him to let him know what evenings work best for you, 613-646-2706..
Mr. Alexander said there is also the possibility of daytime skating for those with children who are not in school. However, there would have to be a committed timeslot that can be advertised so other parents know when they can come out and skate with their children, he said.
“The supervisor needs to be available to open the rink, turn on the lights and supervise the kids,” he said.
Help with clearing the rink can likely be arranged if required, he added.
He’s hopeful of having a finalized schedule to post by Christmas.
Also, when the weather actually gets cold enough, volunteers will be needed to do the initial flooding to create the ice, Mr. Alexander said.
Update on the Kids Playground
The investigation into possible discounts and funding opportunities through various avenues is still being pursued.
Dave has checked with Whitewater Region Chief Administrative Officer Christine Fitzsimons about funding possibilities for such a piece of playground equipment. However, most funding opportunities require the organization be incorporated, which the FFAA is not. The township is willing to apply for a grant on the association’s behalf, but will only apply for one grant per agency on behalf of the township. For example, there is a current application with the Trillium Foundation for another institution in Cobden. While that application is in play the township will not submit another application on behalf of another group, he explained.
Street Decorations
The Christmas decorations in Foresters Falls look great thanks to the street decorating committee.
Healthy Kids Community Challenge (HKCC)
The association is still going to participate in the Healthy Kids Community Challenge (HKCC), Mr. Alexander said. There are a number of events and initiatives as part of this challenge. There is $825,000 available to support this initiative in Renfrew County. The first phase has about $200,000 which must be expended by March 31, 2016 It looks like funding will be provided through each of the townships, so if the association still wants to pursue funding of any kind via the HKCC, the CAO will have to be contacted, he said.
On Dec. 3, Mr. Alexander attended an HKCC meeting in Pembroke and the focus was on the concept of creating “Lending Hubs” in various communities in the county. Explaining, he said the idea of the lending hubs would be to have a place where sports and recreation equipment can be easily available for loan to local families and visitors. This could include things like skates, hockey sticks, snowshoes, baseballs, basketballs and possibly even kayaks and canoes, he said. This concept will be followed up with possible pilot programs in a number of communities.
The next event is a Snowman Challenge slated for February 15-26, 2016.
Snowman kits will be provided and different ideas for the challenge can be incorporated, including, biggest snowman, most snowmen, most creative snow sculpture, etc.
More information is available on the Facebook page of Healthy Kids Renfrew County.
Festival of Outdoor Rinks
The FFAA has signed up to participate in the Festival of Outdoor Rinks
for Renfrew County and the Pontiac
http://www.festivalofoutdoorrinks.com/.
Forester’s Falls’ event is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. It will be a parent and child skate and a parent and child shinny night.
It will be a free night available to all, he said. There’s hope will be some additional things, such as home baking available, he added.
Winter Carnival
The Winter Carnival will be Saturday, January 30, 2016. A planning meeting will be held in early January to finalize the event. Details of the meeting will be made available on the FFAA Facebook page or form information call Dave at 613-646-2706.
