Lakewood denied funding for new park

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A proposal for a new park in Lakewood will not receive town funding, following a decision by Strathmore town council.

Lakewood of Strathmore is developing a proposal for the first park in the community to meet the needs of current residents and attract new ones. The playground concept is being called Brave Park as a homage to frontline workers and other figures, both past and present, in the community.

Lakewood of Strathmore approached council on March 17 requesting a donation and opportunity to borrow public funds to build a playground. Administration then met with the developers on April 6 to discuss funding options for the park.

Lakewood requested a $50,000 gift from the Town of Strathmore and a loan for the remaining $133,750 to build the park, to be paid back over a three-year period. Town administration recommended the council not provide any loan or donation to Lakewood, despite supporting the concept for the park. This is because gifting or loaning funds would set a precedent to other developers, both past and present, that the town helps support the first playground in a development.

Offering the funds would be a departure from past town policy, in which developers are responsible for financing the first playground in their developments. Gifting or loaning funds would thus set precedent to other developers, both past and president.

“It is not a practice of the town to loan funds,” said Jennifer Sawatzky, the town’s director of strategic and administrative services.

But there has been some precedent of the town supporting playgrounds, said Councillor Tari Cockx. The developer in Edgefield has not yet built a park there, and the town provided $50,000 for naming rights for the Keith Schneider playground at George Freeman School, which is open to the public.

However, naming-rights funding for the Keith Schneider playground was provided to Golden Hills School Division (GHSD), rather than any developer, said Jim Simpson, the town’s interim director of infrastructure, operations and development. When another playground is needed in the community, the Edgefield developer will need to pay for it, as required under the town’s policy, said Simpson.

Providing the funding would require either borrowing or a transfer from a reserve, as the amount is not included in the town’s 2021 budget, explained Mel Tiede, the town’s director of corporate services. But it could possibly be included in the 2022 budget, which would result in a tax increase.

Under the agreement with GHSD for the Keith Schneider playground, the school division has accepted responsibility for the upkeep, safety and replacement of the facility, noted Councillor Bob Sobol. This is different from what would be the case in Lakewood.

Despite this, Councillor Lorraine Bauer said she was in favour of supporting the project. 

“I don’t consider this a handout – I consider this a hand up, because they are going above and beyond anything that we’ve seen from a developer anytime in the past,” she said.

With the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, there is no better time to support a playground in the community, added Bauer. 

“Playgrounds attract people and families, and they also create an amazing setting for parents, grandparents and caregivers to bond with their children, and for children to make new friends in the neighbourhood,” she said.

Instead of direct funding, town administration recommended supporting the project by assisting with the grant application and fundraising. The in-kind services the town is offering in lieu of direct funding are significant, said Councillor Denise Peterson. A committee could be formed to work together to secure grant funding and see the project realized, she said.

A motion to deny the funding request passed 5-2, with Cockx and Bauer voting in opposition, meaning no funding was approved by council.