Recreation committee gets council support

Shannon LeClair

Times Reporter

 

Tristan Periard, chair, and Jennifer Pekrul, secretary, for the newly formed Regional Recreation Enhancement committee spoke to council about their plans for future recreation in the area.
The committee was formed due to the need for a multi-use facility in the area; something Periard said is long overdue. The committee would like to see Wheatland County, the Strathmore and District Ag Society and the Town of Strathmore partner together to plan for a multi-use recreational facility that will provide the amenities needed to support the current and future needs of Strathmore and area.
The hope to start is to get a needs assessment done, and a feasibility study. RC Strategies completed a needs assessment a few years ago, and this would be an update on that study. It will also include the feasibility study. It’s expected to cost approximately $80,000 which Periard said the committee is hoping will be split against the partners and then the funding from the grants would go against those numbers.
By partnering together the committe can apply for an Alberta Community Partnership grant for the studies, which will pay for a portion, if not all, of the costs.
“Financially, with cooperation, we are able to work together to gain the funds needed. Together we will be eligible for numerous grants and funds that are available for these projects,” said Periard.
“With compiling that information and getting that needs assessment done, we will know what our top priorities are and how we (go) from there, what our main priorities will be to start the building and how we will stage it and what kind of funding we actually will need, so we can actually have a cost to say this is what it will cost, this is what we will need and go from there.”
Councillor Rocky Blokland questioned the need for the study.
“I know what the town needs, I don’t need a study done for $80,000 to tell me what this town needs,” said Blokland.
“The projects have to begin with a feasibility study because otherwise there’s a lot of protest as to what is needed or some difference of opinions so-to-speak,” said Pekrul.
“When you bring in professionals and you actually have blueprints drawn up, it makes it a much more real and sustainable goal than just saying this is what we need, no this is what we need and the argument goes back and forth. This is the beginning of what we truly need.”
The committee will not be in charge or responsible financially for the needs assessment and were just asking those involved if they’re willing to do it.
When looking to move into new communities people are looking at recreation and what facilities are there. Infrastructure is going up but, said Pekrul, the committee feels the need to play catch up and attract people to Strathmore.
“Building this thing is one thing, getting it built another thing, operating this thing is going to be the highest expense on it. When you look at what we’ve got in town already with the three facilities where it’s costing us $2.4 million a year, I cannot imagine what this is going to cost,” said Blokland.
He also stated that while at an Alberta Parks and Recreation conference a couple of years ago it was stated by one community that pathways and walking were on the top of their 20 item priority list, and a new Sportsplex was on the bottom.
As always the issue will eventually come down to money, and what can reasonably be spent on both the needs assessment and moving forward. At this time council has agreed to support the committee on behalf of the town, and act as a partner with the county and Ag Society, but have not committed to providing any funding at this time.