We know, and you keep letting me know, we need to maintain (at the very least) and hopefully upgrade our Springbank Park for All Seasons. We need to get a community space to replace our condemned old community hall. We need to get a few pathways in the ground, especially along RR33.
I have been setting the ground work for all of this since I was elected. Last week at Council, we finally and formally started this work. We have $2.2M of Municipal Sustainability funds that we will allocate to a project this year. We also have the net proceeds of a land sale (not in RVC and not lands required for schools) that will be fully dedicated to Springbank recreation. I will continue to look for these opportunities, so that when we are ready, we will have capital available!
There is land identified that may be suitable for a new Community Centre that could be donated, should Council and the Community Centre support this. This would drastically reduce the cost of building a new centre.
As I mentioned last month, I have a motion ready that will introduce a “pathways first” planning methodology. While I haven’t yet had the right development come forward to introduce it, I’m hoping Council will debate this soon. And the modernization of our School Board Reserves agreement will ensure we have dollars/land available to meet our residents’ needs in recreation.
And finally, overwhelmingly, those that took my survey last month indicated they would be willing to pay a small levy ($50-$100 per year/per household) if those monies would be used exclusively for recreation projects in Springbank. I have not explored this much further than asking for your feedback, but once we get a few projects going, I think this would be a valuable way to ensure continued investment into our community.
I know you can read all the “doom and gloom” out there. Our provincial economy, our federal economy and those that continue to perpetuate the myth that RVC isn’t accomplishing anything – not true. Thank you to all people that continue to challenge those notions and negative ideologies by asking smart questions and researching truth. If you have a “community” group not dedicated to building community – ask yourself what they are really dedicated to?
Why do we need economic growth in Rocky View?
This short message (reposted from our Vantage Point Newsletter), from our CAO, Al Hoggan, explains this well:
Late last year, I decided to play a lead role in Rocky View County’s economic development activities. As you may know, Rocky View County is the envy of many Alberta municipalities for our strong balance of residential and commercial development, which allows us to keep taxes low and our economy stable.
Although the County has seen tremendous success in the past, and continues to see a
strong present, we’re not immune from the economic conditions facing Alberta.
Many of the things the County buys to provide service to residents—from fire trucks to road salt—are going up in price at sometimes double or triple the rate of inflation. That leaves us with three options: cut service, raise taxes, encourage growth.
Council has clearly indicated through its Strategic Plan that “growing intelligently” is one of our paths to success. By aggressively pursuing the right industrial and commercial development, and ensuring strong , well-planned residential development, we can continue to grow the assessment base and provide Rocky Viewers with the services they demand at property tax rates they can afford.
My team is working to reduce red tape at the County, while still ensuring that Council maintains the proper oversight of the municipality. We’re supporting Council on rewriting policies to ensure they provide sound and clear direction. And we’re ensuring that the County is known to be “open for business.” That doesn’t mean anything goes – it means businesses that are a good fit for the County will find a clear, fair, and supportive path to success as they join the Rocky View County family.
We only need to look to some of our municipal neighbours to see what happens when there’s no economic growth. So far, we’ve been able to avoid the negative consequences that residents of those municipalities are facing. Under Council’s direction, intelligent growth in Rocky View County will help keep it that way.
For complete info on all County events: www.rockyview.ca/NewsEvents/Events.aspx
Kim McKylor,
Councillor, Division 2
