DIDSBURY -- After a great deal of discussion, councillors voted in favour of awarding the skatepark fundraising consultant project to Jordan Cleland Consulting of Olds at a maximum of $60,000 plus GST.
A request for proposal (RFP) was issued on March 25 for the project and Cleland Consulting was the only applicant.
Information provided to council by administration stated that Jordan Cleland Consulting has a proven track record of raising funds for facility construction and renovations in our region, raising almost $2.5 million for other clients and over $30 million while working for Olds College.
Much of the discussion centred around council being unclear about how the consultant would be paid and what checks and balances there would be.
Coun. Mel Crothers said that, "My thought was that the way we left this after the last discussion was that this would be approached with Mr. Cleland saying that this would be a commission to a maximum of $60,000, not a flat $60,000."
Nicole Aasen, manager of recreation and leisure services for the Town of Didsbury, replied that it is a maximum of $60,000 with a combination of a monthly fee as well as commission.
"That's what administration has negotiated," said Aasen. "It's a compromise between what council had wanted as well as what Mr. Cleland wanted."
Coun. Erhard Poggemiller, the lone councillor to vote against the motion, said, "I'm not in favour of this motion for the simple reason that we need to be fair to all fundraisers. However, I think if the man is worth his gold he should be working off the money he makes as commission without us having to front the extra $60,000.
"I'm not saying I'm not in favour of the skatepark. I realize we need some of these facilities. I just have a problem with how this is done."
Coun. Bill Windsor also stated that he thought the deal was strictly for commission.
"I'm not in favour of committing funds with no guarantee," said Windsor. "I don't see what the submission was by Mr. Cleland. I don't know what the contract is going to contain and what plateaus there might be or might not be. I'm not willing to commit $60,000 of taxpayer money with no guarantee whatsoever."
CAO Harold Northcott stated that at the end of discussion at an earlier council meeting about how to proceed with the skatepark consultant RFP, council told administration to negotiate the deal.
"This was the best deal we could negotiate for us; he got to do what he felt was best for him," said Northcott.
The town put out a press release on April 12 to announce its commitment to the skatepark project.
The release said that in addition to the $60,000 for the consultant, the town had earlier invested $39,000 for design work with the specialized company that will build the park, Newline Skateparks.
Didsbury Sk8park Society president Stacy Lodermeier said in the release: "We are so happy with this next level of support and commitment from our local government. The nearly $100,000 total investment helps us financially, but perhaps even more importantly, it signals to sponsors, donors and granting bodies that we are serious about this project, and it will get done - no maybes about it."
Didsbury mayor Rhonda Hunter said that council is committed to ensuring people's tax dollars are allocated wisely, while continuing to meet the growing needs of the community.
"Allocating funding towards what will be a welcome and popular amenity demonstrates our commitment to investing in Didsbury's youth and in enhancing Didsbury's valued inventory of amenities and facilities that are and will continue to be attractive to current and future residents," said Hunter.
"We are eager to get to work with Mr. Cleland and the Sk8park Society on this exciting project."
Meanwhile, council received a presentation from BDO Canada LLP on the 2018 audited financial statement. Council defeated a motion to accept the 2018 audited financial statements in order to allow councillors more time to review the report.
"In regards to the financial statement, I don't think there was sufficient time for us to really look at this," said Coun. Bill Windsor. "I'd really appreciate defeating this motion and giving us an opportunity to look at these financials in some detail and bring it back to the next regular council meeting."
The audited financial statements will be brought back on April 23, said Amanda Riley, Didsbury's chief financial officer. Riley told the Gazette that administration was very happy with the presentation.
"Our team works diligently throughout the year to ensure our financial processes and controls are in place, which lays the framework for a successful audit," said Riley. "We are very pleased with the results."
In other council news, after a brief presentation from Deron Reimer, interim fire chief and manager of protective services for the Town of Didsbury, and Danny Miller, equipment committee leader for the Didsbury Fire Department, council approved the purchase of a 2002 Spartan 75-foot aerial truck for the price of $73,395 including GST.
The money is expected to come from the fire department capital equipment reserve.
