When it comes to determining the future of the Cochrane and District Ag Society, the sooner the better. While the existing lease of the Ag Society with Rocky View County (RVC) does not expire until early 2025, Justin Burwash, president of the society, is concerned that current events and future growth could be impacted if a delayed decision is made. The current site, located on 146 acres at the northwest corner of the Highway 1A/22 intersection, currently provides parking for some 1,000 vehicles to accommodate the growing traffic for its annual Cochrane Fair and other affiliated club events, such as horse trials and Cochrane BMX. However, once work begins on the provincially-funded highway interchange project, the Alberta Transportation land the society currently uses for parking will be unusable. “All of a sudden, where we park 1,000 cars for the fair - we won’t have that anymore,” said Burwash, on the heels of presenting the society’s business plan to Rocky View County (RVC) council and making the society’s financial implications of staying at its present location versus relocating clear to Mayor Jeff Genung - whom he met with recently and will be meeting with again in the coming weeks. The current site poses “significant” challenges for the society, with a price tag more than double the cost of building on a new site. Barriers include water and wastewater infrastructure, which come with a hefty off-site levy cost of $10 million, as well as costs of moving ground to work the infrastructure in around the pipelines for a total cost to implement their 120-acre conceptual plan of $33 million. Should the facility reconstruct on a new site, with existing water and wastewater infrastructure built-in, the cost would be around $16 million. With reference to the 160-acre site (less around 30 acres for a new Rocky View Schools high school) that the Town of Cochrane is currently annexing from RVC north of Heritage Hills, Burwash said this location is appealing to the society. “A lot of hurdles would already be taken care of,” he explained, noting that off-site levies would not be a cost the society would have to come up with. The site has been flagged as a possible location for new ball diamonds, recreational facilities and a campground through preliminary discussions and Burwash said the Ag Society could accommodate these community needs through their concept plan to build out their existing facilities that include a campground and possibly ball diamonds. “Operationally, it can all fit in and have some good synergies,” said Burwash, who is hopeful RVC council will approve the society’s business plan and put the wheels in motion. While Burwash said he is fully aware of the sensitivity of a potential move from the current Ag Society site - he emphasized that the Ag Society must consider the best interests of the society moving forward. “I don’t want the Ag Society to be a pawn in an anti-development or land preservation cause.” Learn more at cochraneagsociety.com.
