The new Columbia Valley Advisory Committee, which is comprised of the same people from the former Columbia Valley Directed Funds Committee, has picked up right where the old committee left off.

The advisory committee met on Tuesday, October 19th at the Windermere Community Hall and, during the meeting, earmarked funding for two major projects — $120,000 for the third phase of the Columbia Valley Marketing and Branding initiative ($86,000 of which is ready to be dispersed as the project moves forward), and $40,000 for the Columbia Valley Affordable Housing Plan being implemented by the Family Dynamix Association.

There were several updates given by committee members, or group representatives, on various valley-wide projects including one from Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Area F director and advisory committee chair Wendy Booth on the marketing and branding initiative and another from her on valley-wide visitors services; from Invermere mayor Gerry Taft on the Columbia Valley Resident Retention and Attraction Plan; and from Family Dynamix Association executive director Pat Cope on the Affordable Housing Plan.

In addition, several valley-wide initiatives that did not have formal updates, but were still of possible interest to the advisory committee, were discussed, including the Westside Legacy Trail and the new multi-use centre.

Also during the meeting, the advisory committee revisited the Columbia Valley Community Priorities Plan, which was the guiding document used by the former Directed Funds Committee to help it decided on project funding requests.

The advisory committee expressed consensus that the priorities plan, which was formalized in 2013, is still valid.

The committee decided to revisit it again in another two years to determine if it is still up to date then.