The town is downsizing its park system by half.
Following the 20-Year Capital Plan Budget Workshop on Sept. 22, town council opted at its regular meeting on Oct. 1 to offer the lots of five of its little-used ‘pocket' parks for sale. As well, the town expressed its intent to develop another for a future doctor's residence while one more, currently the soccer pitch, will be retained until an alternate location can be found.
The town currently has 14 parks including the soccer field and Greenwood Campground. If the town's plan goes as planned it will be left with seven parks.
The intent is to increase revenue and expand the town's tax base, while transferring the playground equipment from the sold parks to ones that are more heavily utilized.
Erin O'Neill, the town's manager of planning and development, said the total assessed value of the five little- used ‘pocket' parks is $399,000. The parks are fully serviced, said Dean Pickering, the town's chief administrative officer.
The issue of the five lots for sale will come back to council on Oct. 15 for first reading. The town is hoping to have public hearings for its sale on Nov. 5.
“We want to ensure the public is consulted. Three of the lots are designated municipal reserve and in order to sell them we are required to have a public hearing,” said O'Neill. “All the ones we are selling are in close proximity to another larger park.”
The five ‘pocket' parks are of various sizes. The one at 5th Ave. S.W. is 7,200 square feet and is large enough to accommodate a single-family home. The park at 122 5 St. S.E., known as Bergen Road Park, is 7,500 square feet and is zoned industrial. O'Neill said once the lot is sold it will remain industrial land.
The park at 214 10 Ave. N.E., known as North End Park, is 11,000 square feet and is large enough for two single-family homes. These three parks have playground equipment.
The fourth unequipped park at 1002 2 St. N.E. is 4,636 square feet and is not considered large enough to develop a single-family home but the town is hoping a neighbour may want to purchase the lot to expand his property.
The fifth park for sale, which is also unequipped, is at 39 Noblefern Way and is 13,454 square feet. It is large enough to have two mobile homes.
Meanwhile, a sixth park at Aspen Cres. N.E. is 10,263 square feet. The town wants to keep the playground equipment on the site until it moves ahead with plans to develop it for a new doctor's residence under its Doctor's Retention Program.
“They (doctors) have trouble finding decent residences when we are recruiting them,” said Pickering.
The seventh park earmarked for dissolution – the soccer pitch – will remain as is while the town and user groups work together to find an alternate location within the next five years.
