Town council unanimously agreed to assist the Olds Agricultural Society with a maximum of $22,000 in financial and in-kind support to fund the construction of a concrete floor at the Olds Cow Palace by June 6, in time for the Jack Anderson car auction later in June.
Tracey Lundago, special events coordinator with the OAS, told councillors that so far, a $40,000 Community Facilities Enhancement Program funding application the OAS submitted to the province hasn't been approved. The Olds Rotary Club and Olds College have each committed $20,000 toward the project. The project is estimated to cost $80,000.
Mayor Judy Dahl said the OAS needs to increase its lobbying of provincial MLAs responsible for CFEP to emphasize the need for the project. Lundago said the OAS hasn't asked Mountain View County for funding support for the project, as county council is supporting the OAS in other ways. Lundago also said county council would be unlikely to support the project, as it would be precedent-setting for other agricultural societies in the area.
“I really think we need to make a decision on Plan B if the CFEP grant is not successful,” Norm McInnis, the town's chief administrative officer, said.
Coun. Arvin Bull, a former president of the OAS board of directors, said the OAS has been a great supporter of the community over the years, donating land to the town for the Olds Sports Complex, the Evergreen Centre and other facilities in town.
Coun. Wade Bearchell said he liked the project but said he didn't like “being backed into a corner” and didn't like the fact that Mountain View County council hadn't been asked to support the project. He also said if the OAS wasn't able to fund future maintenance on its facilities, supporting this request could set a bad precedent.
“I understand the logic behind Coun. Bull's comment. The financials of this aren't good. (Funding depreciation is) going to be a problem at some point,” he said.
In an interview following the request, Lundago said by pouring a solid floor in the Cow Palace, more varied events could take place there.
“It goes from being able to host our traditional agricultural elements but also having things like recreational events; maybe it's a road hockey tournament and some additional entertainment (events),” she said.
A concrete floor could also lead to a good venue to host dining events, which Lundago said has been an identified need in the community.
Dahl said council will seek more political support for the flooring project in light of the project's tight timeline.
