IQALUIT - If your hamlet's pool or arena is still busted after the most recent round of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth (CLEY) funding, there will be another chance soon to get it fixed.

Community recreation infrastructure projects approved by CLEY for this fiscal year: Iqaluit - Storage rooms, softball dugouts and benches Whale Cove - Arena Complex Renovations Cambridge Bay - Arena Complex renovations and pool complex renovations Cape Dorset - Pool renovations, security lighting for the youth centre and arena board replacement Iglulik - Arena replacement Hall Beach - Community Hall renovation Clyde River - Community Hall and Arena Renovation Sanikiluaq - Kickstart Katittavik Projects not approved by CLEY under the same fund: Coral Harbour - artificial ice - more information needed Taloyoak - arena complex renovations - over budget Cape Dorset - new flooring and bathroom renovation - exceeded cap

CLEY announced $300,000 worth of minor capital projects for this fiscal year. With a total budget of $655,000, a second round of funding has been announced.

"We are going to put out a second call for proposals in the next little while," said Curtis Warner, CLEY's senior recreation development officer. "In a lot of cases, we had new recreation co-ordinators in communities, and they couldn't get their proposals in to us in time."

Out of 15 applications, 12 were approved.

"We are having some meetings with the rec co-ordinators soon," said Warner. "We have a presentation on how to apply for this money that we want them to see."

Warner said the most important criteria by which the applications are evaluated are timeliness and need.

"The projects have to be completed in this fiscal year," said Warner. "The biggest thing they need to demonstrate is need. The biggest issues are health and safety."

Hall Beach qualified under those guidelines, as their community hall is neither safe nor healthy. On Jan. 31, the hamlet's community hall was gutted by arson.

"Right now, we are not using the hall, because of the fire," said Paul Hauli, acting recreation co-ordinator for Hall Beach. "We are waiting for the supplies on the sealift, and we are ready to start fixing it up. The water damaged it too. The heat is off and the power is off."

In the meantime, the school gym has been filling in for the torched community hall. At half the size of the hall,

the school gym has just been a stop gap measure.

"There are a lot of kids here, and the school understands that. They are letting us use the gymnasium," said Hauli.

Cape Dorset Recreation Director Cheryl Constantineau had three applications approved, and one was dismissed because Cape Dorset had reached the funding cap for the year.

She is on vacation, but her substitute was pleased to learn that some longstanding recreation problems are being addressed.

"Really, that's great news, I hadn't heard yet," said acting recreation director Ping Ottokie. "The pool is very important, it is used all the time. So is the arena. The boards are pretty poor, we haven't worked on them in a couple of years."

Initially, Nunavut News/ North was denied information about the committee that decides which community gets funding.

"I can't say (who the committee members are). It is better not to. It's for their safety. If an application is denied, there tend to be upset people," said Joanne Quassa, the director of policy and planning for CLEY.

But Warner was more forthcoming.

"There are four members: myself, the manager of community development, the director of community programming and the grants officer," he said.