Youth council
The Cochrane Youth Council, formerly the Mayor’s Youth Council, sent a delegation to Cochrane Town Council Monday night to update councillors on the group’s progress since the transition.
Under the auspices of the Boys and Girls Club of Cochrane, the new group is youth run with representation from a variety of Cochrane schools and ages with an aim to put youth ideas into action.
The group is in the process of establishing an online presence, which will be in the form of a Facebook page. The plan is to make the space a hub for community youth that not only promotes what the group is doing but also advertises community events and provides links to resources for youth.
Councillors commended the youth for the work being done with the youth council and invited them to continue providing updates.
Coun. Tara McFadden also asked the youth if they would be interested in having some involvement with the Cochrane Planning Commission, to which they expressed interest.
More events funding
Ronnie Knowles, owner of Big Hill Pizza and The Hideout Pub and also co-founder of the Cochrane and Area Events Society, appeared before council on Monday night to request the town increase funding to community events.
Knowles said 233 event permits were issued last year in the community and estimated the 20 largest attracted in the range of nearly 68,000 people.
Running off numbers of approximately $50 a person in spin off value to the community in things like gas, food and souvenirs, Knowles estimated the economic impact at nearly $3.4 million.
With that in mind, he asked that the town consider increasing its special events funding to $120,000 from its current $35,000 as an investment to spur more economic activity.
He also recommended a sub committee including councillors, members and business owners be established to encourage more collaboration that would see better promotion of the community and Cochrane businesses.
“A lot of businesses are hurting and can’t afford to advertise,” he said.
Public hearing
A non statutory public hearing will be held on March 27 at 6:00 p.m. to allow for feedback on the The Summit of River Heights Neighbourhood Plan.
The plan consists of approximately 39.95 acres (16.166 hectares) currently on acreage development owned by La Vita Land Inc and Bryan Campbell. The area is located directly south of the community of Riversong and Bow Valley High School. The proposed density of the Summit of River Heights is 8.9 units per acre and it is anticipated the neighbhourhood will provide approximately 364 units and accommodate 1,015 residents. The vision for the proposed neighbourhood is to offer compact development, multiple housing forms, and create a walking environment that allows for easy access to surrounding amenities and jobs.
