The City of Kamloops has been declined two grant requests for projects in Riverside Park, worth just under $5 million.

Capital projects manager Darren Crundwell says one was a grant request for $4.23 million, which would’ve been for a project to bring in an outdoor ice sheet at the spray park. That funding would’ve been used for a project worth $6.05 million to upgrade infrastructure in Riverside Park as well.

The other was for $750,000 for flood mitigation work along the riverbank.

“We’ll be taking some information back to council, now that we didn’t get that grant. We were just trying to make sure we coordinated the two projects, should we get one of the grants. But the priority there is still a flood mitigation project there that is a priority for us. So we’ll be taking something back to council to get some direction.”

That flood mitigation project would include grading on the Rivers Trail and raising the elevation of the riverbank.

“We’ll get direction from council, but there is still a priority for our utilities department to do something in there to protect some pretty critical infrastructure. So we’ll try to get a project approved there and get something done.”

Crundwell previously told NL News that the need for that project was higher in a once-in-20-year flood event, and points out we have a once-in-20-year snowpack which will be melting soon.

“We’ll see this year, because if the water levels get up that high and we’re not protected in the park in a certain area there, it overwhelms our sanitary sewer system there and we’re pumping storm water. Bit of irony there, hopefully the freshet doesn’t go as high as they expect it to this year.”

Crundwell also says it’s too soon to say what the denial for grant funding means for the future of either of these projects.