While grants to things such as school sports, arts and building upgrades to schools have been cut back, it’s good to know the government can splurge for a pool.

Not that there is anything necessarily wrong in getting an upgraded pool at the Penticton Community Centre, it definitely was in need of a makeover. It has more to do with the timing — as school boards and community groups scramble to make up for lost funding, the government slaps down $719 million for 174 shovel-ready projects.

You can’t fault the City of Penticton for applying for the grant money, in which they got two-thirds of the much-needed pool expansion and upgrade paid out of federal and provincial coffers. It wasn’t the city who decided that shovel-ready projects were more important than about 600 smaller arts groups that were left in the cold. And it is not just the arts community that is causing the uproar, even the minister of Canadian heritage and official languages called cuts to arts funding potentially devastating.

While the gaming grant crunch has most affected the little guys (and yes, it seems unfair), it is easy to see the benefits of what the latest cash injection into infrastructure programs will mean. Penticton was the recipient of the highest bankroll this time around with the federal and provincial governments each providing a total of $7,674,983 to help get a much-needed revamp to one of the highest used facilities in the city — the 30-year-old pool. But it is not just to the delight of swimmers. This project will require a lot of workers, and in a time where unemployment is still rebounding the news couldn’t be better.

But when you look at the numbers — $719 million provincewide was doled out — it’s hard not to think about the dollars that were slashed from other programs recently.

While we are excited about the prospect of upgraded pool facilities, it leaves one to wonder how many people will still be able to afford to go there if they are having to dole out more money to put their kids in sports and arts activities.