Town, county continue Wheatland Lodge support discussions

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Discussions are ongoing from the Town of Strathmore and Wheatland County in regards to the ongoing proposed Wheatland Lodge project by the Wheatland Housing Management Board.

Following up on the July 17 regular meeting, the Town of Strathmore issued a statement about the ongoing discussion.

“During the regular council meeting on June 5, 2024, Strathmore town council discussed the proposed Wheatland Housing Management Body (WHMB) project. Any comments made during this meeting were based on the information held by council at the time of the meeting.

During this meeting, Wheatland County’s Councillor Koester (who attended the meeting) corrected two members of council’s misunderstanding of Wheatland County’s position regarding WHMB’s project. Coun. Koester clarified that there was an upcoming motion being made at the June 18, 2024, Wheatland County regular council meeting, to sign a letter of support for the project, and to continue the conversation. He stated that Wheatland County has not officially withdrawn their support.

“At the June 5 meeting, Coun. Koester clarified the county’s position on the proposed lodge. Following Coun. Koester’s clarification, I thanked him and continued the discussion. I considered this matter closed,” stated Mayor Pat Fule.

The Town of Strathmore received a letter from County Reeve Amber Link, June 20, regarding the June 5 council meeting. Fule sent a private correspondence to Link in response to the letter requesting clarification on the county’s position about the WHMB lodge project.

To date, no response has been received by the town from the county about Fule’s correspondence.

Link wrote a letter to the editor which was published in the July 31 edition of the Strathmore Times, indicating the county remains in support of, and committed to the lodge project, despite their concerns with the WHMB governance. 

Fule, previously stating Wheatland County had “… voted against a letter of support….” for the lodge project, has indicated comfort in his statement and has publicly refused to retract his position, despite a request from the county to do so. 

Further address about his position towards the county and regarding correspondence between the two municipalities has also been declined. 

“The Town of Strathmore continues to be in complete support of the proposed Wheatland Housing Management Body’s proposed Wheatland Lodge; the town has made the necessary commitments so as to not impede further development of this worthwhile project,” as attributed to Fule in the town’s released statement.