CHESTERMERE – Plans are moving slowly for the Chestermere Spray Park project, but staff at the town of Chestermere have not forgotten that it is a highly sought-after amenity for the community.
The location and official designs for the park have been chosen, however a land lease agreement still has to be made with Rocky View County before any shovels can hit the dirt. The desired location is next to the existing playground near the recreation centre.
Municipal Planner Alan Boucher said that the process is taking much long than they had hoped, as there are many approval processes to go through.
“Basically we’re still working with the county to try to settle on a land lease and get the location tied up,” he said. “With the new timeline, we’re hoping to get the agreement in place by early next year.”
Boucher said that the Chestermere recreation centre is currently working on some master site plans, and that those plans need to be completed before Rocky View County will dedicate space for the spray park.
“We’ve been working hard with staff from Rocky View County – and they’re on board – it’s just a matter of getting through everything,” he said. “It’s been a much a slower process than expected, but we understand the reasons for the delays.
“The master plans take a while to complete.”
In the meantime, the Spray Park Committee is still hoping to get some support going and begin fundraising. The Town of Chestermere has set aside funding in their budget for the project, but the committee still needs to raise most of the funds to complete it.
“Another frustrating part is that we’ve received so much interest from the community,” he said. “People are willing to pull up their sleeves and donate money, and local businesses are really involved.
“Until we get the location secured, we can’t do much with that support.”
Boucher said that he and the rest of staff at the Town of Chestermere are fully aware of the demand for the facility in the community.
“We’re working very hard to make it a reality, and we understand the public’s frustration with the long process,” Boucher said. “But we maintain our belief that it will all work out in the end.”
For more information about the Spray Park project, contact Alan Boucher at aboucher@chestermere.ca.
