Moose Jaw -
While the provincial and federal governments' funding portions of the multiplex project are a guarantee, not every councillor seems totally optimistic about the community fundraising portion of multiplex funding.
During Monday's council meeting, City Financial Services Director Brian Acker told council community fundraising is to collect $10 million towards the $61.3 million multiplex project, $8.14 million of which the city has already received in either cash ($668,214) or pledges.
Coun. Brian Swanson said he is concerned about the fact so little of the community money received towards the multiplex project is in actual cash. Without the city receiving more actual donated community cash towards the project, Swanson worries that might be indicative of actual support towards the project.
Swanson noted originally the community was to raise money towards the project to show its support for a multiplex. He said rather than start the project with that money on the table, it's now just an afterthought that money will come eventually.
"That really was an important step to gauge community support, because right now the community thinks you can get a multiplex for nothing."
Mayor Dale McBain, however, said citizens did pay up on pledges made during the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre project and he believes citizens will pay out their pledges again with the multiplex.
For more on this story, read Tuesday's Times-Herald.
