Kamloops council has voted to bring back nearly $1.4 million in spending for this year’s budget, after getting federal grant funding reinstated.

Those include $63,000 for expanding pickleball courts, another $600,000 for replacing the ring road at McArthur Island, and $731,000 towards a pedestrian overpass near Thompson Rivers University.

Another $350,000 was also approved to add to next year’s budget for phase two of the ring road replacement at Mac Island.

Other projects were considered, but dropped, after concerns about spending.

“In these times, I’m not comfortable moving ahead. We were told maybe two to three months ago that these items were things that could be deferred, they’re not have-to-dos. And we’ve gotten some more money from the federal government and now we’re just jumping off to spend it,” councillor Mike O’Reilly said, adding that he was on board with spending on the pedestrian overpass.

“Dr. Bonnie Henry did make the comment that she said there’s never been a pandemic in history where there hasn’t been a second wave. I’m very cautious to spend this money right now, hoping that we don’t get a big second wave… But to commit to them now, not knowing what our future is – and not even far in the future, we’re talking two months or three months – to just spend two million dollars, is extremely difficult.”

After back-and-forth, council eventually cut out doing renovations to the Kamloops Museum, which would’ve cost $368,000, and also cut out a renovation worth $114,000 at the Old Courthouse.

The city had cut out the projects after it wasn’t sure if federal gas tax funding would still be granted, based on the pandemic. But the federal government announced earlier this month it would be reinstating gas tax funds for the year.