On July 31, 2014 Rocky View County has demanded the resignation of the board of the Chestermere Regional Community Association and the immediate surrender of their lease for the operation of the Chestermere Regional Recreation Centre.
The unusual step was taken after the County and the Town of Chestermere lost confidence in the Chestermere Regional Community Association (CRCA) board over ongoing issues of transparency, conflict of interest, and risk management.
"Rocky View County has been working with the CRCA board for several months on a number of significant concerns, but we have not seen change or progress. With legal advice, we are now seeking to terminate our relationship in order to ensure that we maintain public confidence in the Recreation Centre and protect taxpayer funds," says Corwin McCullagh, the County’s manager of Recreation and Community Support Services. The County has declined to provide further details on the concerns.
Although Chestermere is no longer in Rocky View County, the County still owns the Chestermere Regional Recreation Centre, which provides a range of services and sports fields for County and Town residents.
Rocky View County has been leasing the management of the facility to the CRCA since November of 1980. The current concerns began to arise in December of 2013. Both the County and the Town of Chestermere have provided funding to the group, and both municipalities were involved in the decision to seek the resignations and end the lease agreement.
"This facility is an important part of the quality of life for residents throughout the region, and the actions we’ve taken were necessary to help ensure the ongoing financial and operational success of the Centre," McCullagh says. "This is a board governance issue, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure that the users of the Chestermere Regional Recreation Centre see very little impact on day-to-day operations."
Rocky View County has another volunteer, community-based recreation board in place that will serve as an interim board for the Regional Recreation Centre. Over the next few months, the County will determine how to move forward on the long-term management and operation of the facility.
The Chestermere Recreational Centre has been a large part of the community since it was built. How will this ‘take-over’ affect what goes on at the centre? Will sports events be cancelled? Will the Red Ribbon Competition have to be held elsewhere?
We would love to hear and perhaps print what you have to say about this newest development in letters to the editor.
