New town office debate continues

By Janet Kanters Times Editor

The debate continues as to the location of a new town office build in Strathmore.
A large contingent of town residents was at the last regular town council meeting to throw their support behind Harrison Gray, a long-time member of the Kinsmen Club, who made a presentation to council.
“I’m greatly concerned about the mayor and the councillors’ approach to building a new office in the northwest corner of the Kinsmen Park,” he said. “I think there are numerous flaws in it, and I hope to give you some better options and different ideas as what could be done.”
Gray added he is in favour of a town office but thinks the location is “terrible.”
According to a news release issued by the town last year, the current town office location is at capacity, and health and safety issues have arisen. A potential location being discussed is the parking lot at the north end of Kinsmen Park.
According to Gray, Kinsmen Park is the top attraction to Strathmore with its pathways, fishing pond, fishing docks, gazebos and farmers market, and it is well used by the citizens of Strathmore and visitors to Strathmore.
“The future development and enlargement of this (park) should be a high priority for the town council,” said Gray. “By planning and putting the office in the northwest corner I think that you’re basically downsizing the park and eventually it will be a bigger problem.”
Town of Strathmore Mayor Pat Fule said he and councillors have discussed Gray’s suggestions, which were outlined in a letter to the town and published in the Jan. 11 issue of the Strathmore Times.
“We’ve talked among ourselves as a group and we’ve definitely considered looking at some of the things that were mentioned by your group regarding the café and the upper deck that looks out onto the lake,” noted Fule. “We had decided we weren’t married to those items, that we could move away from that as well.”
Gray said a better location for the new town office would be immediately east of the proposed site, between the current Kinsen Park parking lot and the Hi-Ho gas station. A second option is north of the town fire hall where the ball diamond sits.
“The third alternative would be right with this site right here (current town office location). There’s lots of land south of this building and west of it that could accommodate (a new town office); it’s also shovel-ready to go and no added expenses.”
Fule said no decision has been made yet as to a final site for a new town office. “There will be a future meeting where we’ll be making a decision on a site,” and the public will be kept informed.
However, in a Jan. 12 Facebook post, Fule said “We’ve taken that initial northwest corner idea ‘off the table’ as the Kinsmen asked, and we offered a compromise location a few feet from that privately owned lot next to the Hi-Ho.”