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RVC council approves maintaining lease agreement for Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre

Rocky View County council has voted in favour of maintaining its lease and operating agreement with the Town of Cochrane for the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre for the time being. Council made the decision at their June 29 meeting.

COCHRANE— Rocky View County council has voted in favour of maintaining its lease and operating agreement with the Town of Cochrane for the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre for the time being.

Rocky View council made the decision at their June 29 meeting and released a press release regarding the decision on June 30.

Council's decision comes a few weeks after the Town of Cochrane sent out its own press release stating the municipality had provided notice to the County it would be pursuing updated agreements regarding the regional recreational amenity. According to that release, the Town had written to Rocky View County seeking the termination of the current 15-year lease and operating agreement between the two municipalities and the Spray Lake Sawmills Recreation Park Society.

“As I stated at the time of Cochrane’s announcement, Rocky View County is open to working with the Town to ensuring there is a balanced, sustainable plan moving forward for the provision of recreation services in the region,” said Rocky View County Reeve Dan Henn in the County's press release.

“However, terminating the existing agreement before a new one is in place, or before we’ve even had our first meeting on the matter, seemed premature to County council.”

Though the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre is located in Cochrane, the multi-use recreational facility is situated on lands jointly owned by the County and the Town. The facility includes an indoor swimming pool, hockey rinks, curling sheets, indoor soccer fields, a fitness room and running track, and more.

The facility is managed and operated by the Spray Lake Sawmills Recreation Park Society. The society is governed by a board of volunteers that includes Town and County council representatives, community stakeholders and community members.

The current 15-year lease between the three parties was signed on June 22, 2017. Ending the agreement early requires the approval of both municipalities, according to RVC.

“We look forward to informed, meaningful discussions with Cochrane over the issues of recreation funding and the future of the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre,” Henn said in the release. “While that work happens, leaving the existing agreement in place to help support the Spray Lake Sawmills Recreation Park Society should ensure that important recreation opportunities continue to be provided for the residents of Cochrane and Rocky View County.”

When reached for comment, the Town of Cochrane issued the following statement to the Rocky View Weekly:

“While we appreciate the County’s preference to leave the existing agreement in place, we are working towards the same desired outcome— The opportunity for a robust and inclusive dialogue between the three organizations in development of a new funding and operating model that supports the continued delivery of recreation services for our region.”

 

 

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