OLDS — The walls are going up quickly at Kirsten’s Place, the Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society’s facility under construction on 54 Street in Olds.
Construction on the shelter officially began May 1.
It’s expected to be completed in the fall.
Meanwhile, town council has approved an application to allow the society to erect a six-foot high chain-link fence for security and to locate that fence outside the property boundary.
Council made that decision during its June 10 meeting.
A drawing in council’s agenda package shows that the proposed fence would be right on the property line on the south and east sides of the property but would be 17 feet (5.2 metres) outside the property line on the west side and seven feet (2.13 metres) outside on the north side.
“The fence heights around the east, south and west sides of the property meet the land use bylaw,” development officer Shari Edgington told council.
She said it’s development authority’s belief that the proposed fence “does not negatively impact the adjacent properties, as they’re owned by the town of Olds and there currently are not any plans to do anything with that land or extend that road at this time.”
Coun. Dan Daley asked why the fence is not following the property line.
“Based on the property line, the fence would just be too close to the structure itself, where the foundations are already being built,” chief administrative officer Brent Williams said.
Edington said it was assumed that the existing fence was on the property line but a survey company determined that to not be the case.
The land the shelter is being constructed on, at the intersection of 50 Avenue and 54 Street in Olds, is owned by the Town of Olds as is adjacent land.
The Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society has a lease with the Town for its portion of the property.
Coun. Heather Ryan wanted reassurance that any fence constructed would not “inhibit” the Town from accessing its property.
“We do have some plans for that further location behind there for snow dump and I just want to be assured that it’s not going to be any kind of deterrent from using that space in the future,” she said.
Williams said the gate currently at that location will be moved back in order to access the O.R. Hedges campground etc. and the current snow dump on the south side of the development.
“We have no concerns with accessing this on our own (timeframe),” Williams said.
