In May 2015, the GCC again asked TLS Hydro to consider an annual agreement (as proposed by the Community Benefit policy).
A further £5,000 was “happily” donated, but this time accompanied by an admonishment to be more professional, inferring that the previous donation had been spent on “beer and sandwiches” (which it was not), and a request that the community council provide “a detailed account of where our money has been spent over the past year and [...] a clear plan of where these funds are to be used in the coming year”. The request for an annual agreement was again declined.
This rather abrasive response from TLS Hydro triggered an “Action Meeting” on 8 June 2015 to discuss ideas for a community project and how best to use the donated money.
The following ideas were raised as possible projects in Glenfinnan:
1. Create a walkway and bridge over the River Finnan to link to the Callop Bridge walkway, thus avoiding having to use the main road.
2. Using an existing building within the village as a heritage centre showcasing Glenfinnan’s rural past.
3. Building a small community hall – various locations suggested.
4. Reinstate a pathway from Eilean Mòr to the National Trust, linking the existing viaduct path to the Station.
5. Building a community owned pontoon, with possible future development into a crannog, on the Loch.
6. Design and build a family play park possibly with BBQ/picnic area.
Obviously £5,000 would not be sufficient funding for any of these projects; the idea was that the money could be put towards match-funding a substantially larger grant from another source.
The important point historically is that this is the first formal record of the long-standing notion to build a small community hall.
The GCC minutes from 22 June 2015 record an intention to approach Marine Harvest to discuss possible use of their shorebase workshop and office adjacent to Slatach pier, as the building had recently been vacated by Marine Harvest following the completion of their new facility at Ghuisachan Cottage, but there was no recorded progress of this idea for the remainder of 2015. In fact, in December 2015 and early 2016, an alternative plan to acquire and use a Yurt was briefly explored.