DIDSBURY - Town council has been told about potential options for the redevelopment of a brownfield site along 20th Avenue. The update came during the recently regularly scheduled council meeting.
At the direction of council, the town’s economic development officer (EDO) was tasked with connecting with the owner of the brownfield, Suncor Energy, to explore the redevelopment of the site.
“The property is located on the main thoroughfare leading to the downtown core,” said Ethan Gorner, the town's chief administrative officer. “This site is deemed contaminated and has very limited opportunities to be developed.”
The EDO has explored potential options for developing the site in conjunction with Suncor “which is supportive of this and is willing to contribute to it,” he said.
Potential options for the site include a community park with pavilion, playground structure, and art components such as sculptures and chalkboard.
“By developing this brownfield, currently sitting empty, this project could turn a vacant site into a community asset,” he said. “The project could be a gem for this area of the community, adding to the enjoyment of not only residents but also the region and visitors to Didsbury.
“Developing the brownfield will cater to the quality of life for our resents of all ages and further may help generate increased visitor traffic to the adjacent businesses and may attract complementing businesses filling the empty store fronts in this area.”
Council accepted the administration report as information and forwarded the matter to the strategic planning committee process for the new council term.
New asphalt repair unit
In other news from the recent council meeting, council has approved an additional $3,725 from the municipal sustainability initiative grant fund toward the purchase of new asphalt repair equipment.
Council had earlier passed a motion authorizing the purchase of a used repair unit from Industrial Machine Inc. (IMI), but that unit was subsequently sold to another buyer, said Gorner.
“IMI has offered to bridge the gap from the new unit price of $75,080 and will supply a new unit for $71,300,” he said. “This is an additional $3,725 more than approved in (the earlier motion) but a savings of $3,780 for a new unit.”
Council passed a motion authorizing the additional funding to purchase a new unit.
