View - The Municipality of Lambton Shores

Facilitating partnerships with external service providers and maximizing on the
internal strengths of the community will allow Lambton Shores to provide the best
services to its residents.
The Master Plan reinforces this partnership recommendation in Strategic Direction #7,
Action Item 7-13:
Next Steps
The Municipality should work with community partners to strengthen programs
and services available to children and youth in Lambton Shores. At a minimum,
this should include holding discussions with the YMCA and the Grand Bend
Youth Centre with regard to enhancing leisure programming being delivered to
the community.
The Community Services Department would like Council to consider the following
options with regards to the future operation of the Grand Bend Youth Centre, and
provide direction on how to proceed:
Option #1 - The Municipality, The Optimist Club of Grand Bend and the YMCA
partner as discussed in D.C.S. Report No. 13-2012 with the YCMA coordinating
programs and operating the Youth Centre, the Optimist Club contributing up to
$10,000 per year for three years and the Municipality waiving the $1,500 annual
rental fee and contributing $3,000 for administrative costs. The Municipality will
also continue to be responsible for the maintenance of the building.
Option #2 - The Optimist Club applies for financial support in the amount of
$5,000 to assist in the operation of the Youth Centre. This option would leave
the Optimists open to partner with whomever they choose within reason. Rental
fees would not be waived in this case, but the Municipality would still be
responsible for the general maintenance and upkeep of the facility.
This option is in keeping with other existing programming precedents. The
Municipality has been very supportive of youth programming in the past and
present by offering subsidized rates to other community groups. The North
Lambton Community Health Centre is able to provide the “I Can” Program free of
charge to the youth in Thedford and Forest because of the subsidized rental rate
they receive from the municipality. This program runs 3 days a week at the
Legacy Recreation Centre and the Shores Recreation Centre and offers a variety
of physical and mental activities for the children to partake in. The Small World
Nursery School also benefits from subsidized rental rates, therefore allowing
them to offer affordable early learning childcare.
Option #3 - The Optimist Club and the Municipality partner, with the municipality
coordinating all programming and staffing and the Optimist’s providing up to
$10,000 in funding for three years. This option is expected to be the most costly
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