SUNDRE – More than 50 people came out to learn about the proposed multi-year phased plan to develop the east side four season campground and passive outdoor use recreational area.
The public engagement session held on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 27 was hosted at the Sundre Municipal Library from 3-5 p.m., although interpretive panels featuring information about the project remained on display for another day with an extended opportunity for people to submit input.
“We found the library to be a great venue and look forward to having more open houses there,” Benazir Thaha Valencia, planning and economic development manager, told the Albertan.
“The majority of the people in attendance provided positive feedback with some cautionary comments,” Valencia wrote by email in response to follow-up questions, adding when asked that one such concern revolved around having fire pits at the location.
The next part in the process involves going over the feedback with a fine tooth comb as well as compiling data from posters that participants placed stickers on to identify the kinds of amenities or options they’d prefer to see included in the plan. A final report to council will be presented following the summer break.
Passive outdoor use areas are defined as parcels of land that do not require many facilities or much development to ensure a minimal impact on the environment or natural resources. The municipality says the project will align with the four-season passive outdoor uses that already exist in the area, including but not limited to cross-country skiing, fishing and hiking.
“This campground will allow for the travelling public to camp within town limits, thereby supporting the local economy,” reads background information on one of the posters, adding the intent is to generate “revenue from the campground to support operating as well as capital expenses.”
With regards to traffic, the municipality says multiple access points are under consideration to minimize the impact and that it is collaborating with Alberta Transportation to ensure the most effective road system is implemented.
As for funding, administration was directed by council to cover the project’s costs through a combination of grants and operational revenue. In other words, revenue generated by the campground’s operations will fund subsequent phases.
“In terms of the costs associated with the project, the only cost to date has been the purchase of the land which was part cash and tax receipt; all other work has been funded through grants,” said Valencia.
The municipality obtained the parcel in 2019 at a cost of about $212,000, which at the time was less than half of the property’s appraised value of $575,000. The sale was finalized in 2020.
“We’re going to build it on grants,” Sundre mayor Richard Warnock told the Albertan during the open house in response to concerns that have been expressed about taxpayers footing the bill.
Warnock added the the municipality is also working with Mountain View County “to get them to participate.”
Acknowledging the initial expense incurred by the municipality in purchasing the land, the mayor said the rest of the project – which is to be phased in over several years – will be completed partly through grants as well as revenue from the campground’s operations.
Studies and concept designs were also paid by the town but those expenses were covered by grants as well, he said.
“So really so far, it’s cost our taxpayers very little dollars,” he said.
A contractor could theoretically be brought into town to get the project done in about a year for several million dollars, “but that doesn’t work for a small town like Sundre,” he said.
“We have to build it phased, slowly,” he said, emphasizing the municipality was not prepared to saddle taxpayers with a multi-million-dollar tab.
“Our plan is to build it over four or five years,” he said.
Asked for a response to residents who had expressed concerns about the open house’s late afternoon timeline when many people are still working and could not participate, he said the town had previously considered other ways to enhance public engagement in light of sparsely attended general public information sessions in the fall and spring that were held in the evenings at the Sundre Community Centre.
“We weren’t getting the return that we were looking for,” he said, adding that when many people get home for their evening meal, “they’re looking after their children and families and so on; they don’t get back out.”
So the municipality opted to try a late afternoon session in the hopes of potentially tapping into after-school traffic as parents pick up their children on their way home from work.
“The purpose is to try and get the turnout of the public, rather than waiting until after the supper hour,” he said. “And that’s why it’s here at the library, is to get it really close to the school.”
Considering some past public engagement sessions held in the evenings at the community centre had barely been attended by some 20 people, the mayor seemed pleased by the turnout of more than 50 people.
“So far today we’ve already had a really good turnout,” he said. “This is what we’re going to strive for in the future to see if we can’t get better public participation; we’d like the public to come out.”
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