COCHRANE— Looking to terminate the existing Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre and Cochrane Arena ownership and operating agreements, the Town of Cochrane has provided notice to Rocky View County it will be pursuing updated agreements that represent the best interests for both municipalities.
Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung said the Town and County have been working to establish a stronger relationship in regards to the Sports Centre. These talks have often circled back to the operating agreement.
“This is giving ourselves a deadline to work within for both Rocky View County and the Town of Cochrane,” Genung said. “It’s setting the goal post so we can achieve a better outcome for all the users of the rec centre.”
He is hopeful new agreements can be established in the coming months, but cautioned the documents will be impacted by the time it takes to establish the logistics and division of cost between the County and Town, along with the upcoming municipal election in October.
The Sports Centre and Cochrane Arena and the lands they are located on are jointly owned by the Town of Cochrane and Rocky View County.
The facilities are 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 lease between the three parties was signed on June 22, 2017, for a term of 15 years.
Overall, the new proposed agreements will come due on July 1, 2022, Genung said.
He hopes to see the established plans take place over a shorter time frame with annual renewals taking place every five years.
“We don’t have to recreate the wheel every five years, we can just update the plan,” Genung said.
Cochrane Council is focussed on pursuing the best option for the delivery of recreation services, he said. By terminating the existing agreements for the Sports Centre and Cochrane Arena the Town, County and Society will be able to work collaboratively to find a model that better serves all communities.
Two operation agreements will be impacted by the termination— The lease and operating agreement and the reimbursement agreement.
COVID-19 impacted recreation across the province, and the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre was no exception. Genung said the Society and operations team at the recreation centre have faced a challenging year navigating the impacts of the virus.
The pandemic has put some pressure on the operational costs of the facility, Genung said, but the Town and Rocky View County have been following the agreement in place to support the Sports Centre.
“There is a bit of a perception that they’re [Rocky View County] not contributing as much as Cochrane is— Really what we’re trying to get to is a user-pay model where we can ensure whoever is using the rec centre is paying fairly,” Genung said.
The conversations between the parties have been positive so far, but there is a need for action regarding the future of the facility.
“With Cochrane providing notice we’re really saying we really want to work toward a deadline— This is not an aggressive move at all, it’s really saying, ‘we want to make some moves here and pay some attention to the short term,’” he said.
Genung wants to see the facility function at the highest level possible and successfully provide a recreation experience to Cochrane and area residents at a cost that is affordable and fair. He added this could be accomplished by the user-pay model.
“We can say there is a certain number of Cochrane residents that are utilizing the facility and a certain number of Rocky View County residents and I’m sure there’s other from Calgary. Everybody is going to be their fair share for that, that’s really the outcome I’m looking for,” Genung said. “Flexibility, fairness, equitable delivery of service and costs to all the parties [is the goal].”
The termination should not cause any changes to service deliveries at the Sports Centre as the agreements are updated.
“The general public will not feel any impacts from us going through this agreement right now,” Genung said.
Rocky View County Reeve Daniel Henn provided a statement to Airdrie City View regarding the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre proposal.
“Rocky View County welcomes and fully supports Cochrane’s move to take a serious look at recreational amenities, their use, and their funding. The County contributes millions of dollars to recreation facilities in Cochrane and other urban municipalities. We have our own questions about how frequently our residents actually use these amenities, and we’re also seeking a better understanding of the impacts urban residents have on County facilities and recreation opportunities," Henn said. "We look forward to working with Cochrane in ensuring there is a balanced, sustainable plan moving forward, and that each funder contributes no more or less than they should in providing recreation opportunities for residents.”
