Two foothills communities are looking to the Province to help give their new partnership a financial boost.

The Towns of Turner Valley and Black Diamond applied for the Municipal Affair’s Friendship Agreement Implementation Grant, a matching grant that could pay upwards of $30,000 for the planning of collaborative community projects over the next two years.

The two communities, located just three kilometres apart, formed a friendship agreement last year that will have them working together on a number of projects and services in an effort to save taxpayers’ money.

“It makes sense now that we’ve done this,” said Black Diamond Mayor Sharlene Brown. “It’s an opportunity that if there are projects that come up in the future that it might offset the cost between the two communities.”

Brown said the grant would assist the Towns in accessing professionals to determine the feasibility of a variety of joint projects and cover expenses for research and contracting outside agencies that could assist in getting the programs up and running in the two communities. For instance, both municipalities plan to develop a joint emergency plan and the grant would assist in hiring disaster services employees to help develop the plan, she said.

“It would be specific projects that would affect both communities,” she said. “If a disaster hits one community it has an impact on the other community.”

Other collaborative projects could include an economic development plan and Family and Community Support Services, said Brown.

“In the long run there are a lot of opportunities where we can partner between the two communities and it would be beneficial for all taxpayers keeping in mind that each community keeps its own identity,” she said. “We can determine if there are other projects where we can work together that could use extra funding.”

Brown said she expects to hear back from Municipal Affairs regarding the grant in the next few months.

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