Heather Wright/The Independent

Outgoing Brooke-Alvinston Mayor David Ferguson says he’s proud of the work done to secure funding for recreational projects in his time in office.

Ferguson, who did not seek re-election, made the comment in an interview with The Independent at his last official meeting, Lambton County council Nov. 4.

“The arena project is a big one,” he says. “We got a grant for that, and the community involvement in that has been phenomenal. If you look there now, we’re at $650,000 from the community. So on the floor part, no taxpayer dollars going into that, and we’re going to have enough money to at this point to cover half our (new arena) board cost.”

Ferguson added there have been a number of successful applications for foundation grant funding for projects such as the tennis court refurbishment.

“There’s been three Alix Foundation grants come in for the right projects at the right times and that really helps out the people in the small towns.”

While there have been wins, Ferguson acknowledges small municipalities like Brooke-Alvinston continue to fall behind on provincial funding. The province has pared over $2 million from Brooke-Alvinston’s budget by reducing the amount of money provided through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund over a decade.

The outgoing mayor says to this day, no one person not politicians nor bureaucrats – can provide him with a funding formula which shows the reason for the reduction.

“Rural Ontario is really struggling for that OMPF cutbacks, and it’s hitting our roads.”

Ferguson noted the municipality has turned parts of three major routes back to gravel because it can’t afford to repave them. And he wonders if some of them will simply remain gravel.

“That’s to me a big concern: is the lack of infrastructure provincially coming to the small rural communities.”

Brooke-Alvinston’s new mayor and council will be sworn in Nov. 16 at 11 am at the Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood Community Centre’s upper hall.