The Innisfail Horseshoe Club has decided it will move to a new location if the town believes it's in the best interests of the community to build the new skateboard park beside the club's long established current site.
In a letter sent to the town for council's March 26 regular meeting, the club stated its executive weighed the pros and cons of a "number of scenarios" and determined if the town decides through its upcoming review of site locations for the new skateboard park that the chosen site should remain, then members will move out of their 33-year home. Club officials have repeatedly said in the past that having the skatepark built beside them at the intersection of 42nd Street and 51st Avenue would make it nearly impossible for the club to host tournaments and that the noise generated from the new facility would disrupt members.
The club's decision is a marked departure from its initial comments a month ago when Mayor Jim Romane publicly said the best idea for the club might be to relocate the horseshoe pits. Myrna Kissick, the president of the horseshoe club, said at the time the idea "did not make sense."
However, since then, members of the horseshoe club, which met last month to discuss the relocation idea, have dialed down its initial hard line stance.
"After much discussion the club agreed that if council feels that the proposed location of the skateboard park serves the best interests of the skaters and the general population, then we believe that the pits should be relocated to a more suitable location," said the letter to the town. "Since the Town of Innisfail has invested substantial funds into the proposed location, it could be a cost effective measure to relocate our pits."
However, the club is still sticking to its guns about the town building a clubhouse for horseshoers if they have to relocate. The club has never had a clubhouse at its current location, which was built in 1987.
"If we have to move that should be one of the concessions. It would be part of the deal. I don't think we are asking for too much. It doesn't have to be fancy," said Kissick last week. She added members of the club should also be part of the town's site location review process.
"We have our own ideas where that park should be. We could be part of that," said Kissick. "That would go a long way for the people to like the council better. I honestly think the town should open this up to the community."
Meanwhile, Todd Becker, the town's chief administrator officer, welcomed the club's letter to the town and issued one himself back to the group, which was received by Kissick on April 5.
Becker said the club's letter will be part of the town's overall site plan development, which will be able to show the location in two different forms -- one with the site intact with the horseshoe pits, and the other without.
He said that while council did not comment on the letter at the March 26 meeting the skateboard park site review is still "status quo" from council's previous direction to explore all site options.
"I didn't hear from council in any detail at all," said Becker, who has previously stated a timeline for the review has not yet been established. However, construction for the $650,000 project, which was first hoped to begin later this year, is now likely to begin and finish in 2019. "We will continue on with revisiting the project scope and with the direction to look at a bigger picture approach for amenity development."
