OLDS — The municipality should look at the feasibility of relocating some or all of the Olds Regional Exhibition (ORE) facilities outside of the community so that land could be used for commercial or recreational use, a study says.
It says the ORE, where it’s currently located “lacks compatibility” with surrounding land uses.
That document, called the Mountain View Regional Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan, was presented to Olds council last month by Justin Rousseau, managing director of Expedition Management Consulting Ltd.
“The Olds Regional Exhibition is currently situated on 60 acres of land in the heart of the town of Olds," the plan states. “The ORE lands are adjacent to significant recreation and park assets, such as the Sportsplex, Centennial Park, O.R. Hedges Lions Campground, and baseball diamonds.
“The activities and events hosted at the ORE can, in some instances, lack compatibility with the uses of the surrounding areas, which include residential areas and community recreation assets. The current ORE lands have great potential for future recreation, parks and culture facility development."
Given the location of the lands, there is also high potential for commercial development that could help generate revenue and offset costs, the plan says.
It also says ORE officials are “receptive” to potentially relocating the Exhibition outside the town "if it is financially feasible to do so.”
Coun. Heather Ryan was interested in that idea. She asked Rousseau if researchers examined ORE facilities with a view to possible relocation.
Not really, Rousseau replied, saying the plan was "pretty broad” in scope.
“No, we wouldn’t have done, like facility assessments on the different facilities on their grounds,” he said. “It’s more about identifying with these processes – we want to identify those lands that have high recreation potential.
“And that’s an obvious location where you could potentially expand indoor and/or outdoor assets and facilities in the community. You know it’s prime land for that.
"And it’s also prime commercial land and so that could be worked into some sort of a business case moving forward as well. At this stage, it’s very broad strokes. It’s just like, ‘explore this opportunity.’ It did kind of come through as a top priority but at this stage, it’s work with your partners and determine the feasibility of it.”
The Albertan reached out to ORE general manager for comment but did not receive a reply by press time.
