Mountain View County will contribute $10,000 toward the Sundre skatepark project ñ but only on condition that a rule is put in place requiring helmets for users who are under 18, council's policies and priorities committee has recommended.The stipulation was put forward by Div. 7 Coun. Al Kemmere at the Jan. 11 P&P meeting and initially didn't sit well with one Sundre-area councillor.ìI support (the funding request) but have a concern with putting a condition on it,î Div. 5 Coun. Bob Orr said.ìIt seems like extortion,î Orr said.Kemmere countered that the helmet rule has been an issue with the Olds skatepark and still hasn't been resolved.ìWe have helmet rules for hockey Ö it's the same thing. It's not extortion,î Kemmere said.Despite Orr's objection, councillors passed the motion unanimously.Bill Lough, project manager for the Sundre and District Skatepark Society, said after the vote that he supported the motion as it was passed and told councillors that their ìfeedback was excellent.îìIt's a wonderful first step, greatly appreciated,î he said.Lough, a Bearberry resident, appeared before P&P to provide an overview of the project and the society's fundraising efforts during the past year.The skatepark's total projected cost is $230,000 and the society has raised more than $90,000 in cash donations and $15,000 in services to date. Its objective is to raise $130,000 then apply for $105,000 under the province's Community Facility Enhancement Program.If the grant is approved, the group's intent is to break ground this spring.The skatepark has widespread support from the community, including the Sundre RCMP detachment, and a survey of youth in the area found it to be their top priority, Lough said.ìWe've defined it as a grassroots project,î he said.The majority of teens expressing interest in having a skatepark in Sundre reside in the outlying rural area, he added.The skatepark will be designed and constructed by Newline Skateparks Inc., the same company that built the Olds skatepark and about 90 others in Alberta. The Town of Sundre has donated a vacant lot located directly west of the curling rink and across from the high school, which has been assessed at $64,330. The town will assume ownership of the finished facility and be responsible for yearly maintenance.Although the Memorandum of Agreement with the town is under review for capital recreation funding, Lough noted that there have been precedents, including the county's donation of gravel and equipment worth $8,500 for the Olds skatepark.Since Sundre has the largest rural population in the county, the society deemed a $10,000 donation was an appropriate amount.Lough also presented P&P with a Sobeys cake reshaped in the likeness of a skatepark.Council will vote on the P&P recommendation at its Feb. 1 meeting.
