The town could be on the hook for $22,000 if an environmental assessment Habitat For Humanity is carrying out on a piece of town property finds that the land is contaminated.
The town could be on the hook for $22,000 if an environmental assessment Habitat For Humanity is carrying out on a piece of town property finds that the land is contaminated.
Town councillors floated the idea of reimbursing Habitat For Humanity Southern Alberta for an in-depth environmental assessment the non-profit organization wants to do on a piece of property at 48 Avenue and 52 Street. In June, council agreed to donate the land that was formerly used as a town shop to the organization. The motion to have administration prepare a formal recommendation on the issue was made at council’s policies and priorities committee meeting on Nov. 18.
Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta already did a lower level environmental assessment on the property earlier this autumn, but Leslie Tamagi, the organization’s executive director, said that due to the site’s former history as a storage yard for Shell Canada, Habitat would feel more confident if an in-depth assessment were completed.
Coun. Mary Jane Harper said she thought that if the assessment comes back and it recommends that remediation take place, then the town should reimburse Habitat for Humanity for the assessment, take back the land and assume ownership of the environmental report.
"I firmly believe that Habitat for Humanity should go ahead with the assessment and if (the land) is found to not be suitable for them then we should take the property back," she said.
Coun. Harvey Walsh agreed with Harper’s suggestion.
"When you think about it we should come up with some sort of plan to help them out," he said.
Habitat for Humanity wants to use the land as a future site for a housing project.
[email protected]
@ballfanatic16
CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK!
