MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - The county has turned down a request from Kamp Kiwanis officials to appear before council as a delegation to discuss the possible relocation of the children’s camp to a property south of Bergen in Mountain View County, says reeve Angela Aalbers.
During the June 13 council meeting, Aalbers said the delegation request received from Township Planning and Design Inc. on behalf of Kamp Kiwanis has been denied.
“I did turn this delegation request down and just asked them to follow the process,” said Aalbers. “Normally we will have a delegation that comes if they want to discuss trying to generate an area structure plan for a development that they are wanting to do, if they are looking for some direction from council.
“Normally it is just following a process that is in place, which already has a land use bylaw option in place and it just goes through the planning process.”
Kamp Kiwanis is a non-profit organization that provides overnight summer camps for underprivileged or disadvantaged children and an outdoor school running overnight and day trip programs in spring and fall, according to its website. It was founded in 1951 by the Kiwanis Club of Calgary.
In an April 25 letter sent to Jeff Holmes, the county’s chief administrative officer (CAO), Township Planning and Design senior planner Kristi Beunder requested the delegation opportunity.
She explained that Kamp Kiwanis has had to move its past location near Bragg Creek due to a flood mitigation project.
“Kamp Kiwanis is proposing to build their new camp just south of Bergen (at NE 10-31-05 W5M) on a property they have purchased,” she said. “The relocation of the camp to Mountain View County assists in providing service to a broader range of children in the local area.”
Kamp Kiwanis has engaged Township Planning and Design to obtain the necessary approvals to facilitate the relocation, she said.
No formal applications related to the possible relocation had been received by the county as of June 15, says CAO Holmes.
Jenn Chesworth, senior planner with Township Planning and Design Inc., told the Albertan the company tentatively plans to make a land use redesignation application this fall, followed by a development permit application if successful.
The land involved is currently designated agricultural and the company would like to redesignate it recreational, she said.
While Kamp Kiwanis owns the land involved, the property is currently vacant and not being used for any activities, she noted.
