The Town of Fort Macleod will ask residents for input on a new location for the skateboard park.
Council voted March 22 to move forward with a public engagement process that will include on-line and possibly in-person events.
“We look forward to some more consultation and feedback,” Mayor Brent Feyter said.
The old skate park, as well as the tennis courts, were displaced with the expansion and modernization of the outdoor pool.
The town approached Livingstone Range School Board to locate the skate park at either W.A. Day or F.P. Walshe schools, but was not successful.
At the March 22 council meeting at the G.R. Davis Administration Building chief administrative officer Sue Keenan provided an update on skate park discussions.
Keenan told council of a recent meeting with Barent Goodrich, a Fort Macleod resident and one of the founding members of the committee that got the skate park built.
“There were lots of things that we discussed about the skateboard park,” Keenan told council.
“What we came up with were four potential sites.”
The potential locations that were discussed were:
- Centennial Park.
- Garrison Estates
- The triangle green space on Water Street.
- Westwinds Stadium-Fort Macleod Volunteer Park.
“These are locations that we hope to advertise and identify as we garner support and feedback from our residents and businesses through a public engagement process,” Keenan said.
Keenan sought council’s support to move forward with that public engagement process.
That discussion will include any other suggestions for possible locations for the skate park.
“Once completed a recommendation will come back to council which will request approval for that location,” Keenan said.
Keenan is hopeful the public engagement can be done in person, possibly at the community hall with social distancing and other public health measures observed to prevent spread of COVID-19.
The town will also use social media, beginning with an on-line survey.
Mayor Brent Feyter asked about plans to relocate the tennis courts and outdoor skating rink that have been removed.
Feyter wondered whether sites for those two facilities could be part of the public engagement.
“At least we can get as much feedback as possible at the same time,” Feyter said.
Keenan said that would be possible, noting staff used the parks and recreation master plan completed in 2018.
“There’s been one inquiry about the tennis courts since they’ve been taken down,” Keenan said.
Coun. Kristi Edwards favoured removing the Water Street triangle park from the list of potential sites.
“I just don’t think that it’s safe or an ideal location by any means,” Edwards said.
Feyter wondered about adding as a potential location the green space east of Sixth Avenue and north of the westbound one-way near the health centre.
“That’s one location I’ve always tried to figure out what we could do with that area,” Feyter said.
Coun. David Orr supported including that area in the discussion.
“It would look nicer developed than it is right now,” Orr said. “It’s something to consider.”
Orr asked about the green space immediately north of the Scout Hall.
Keenan said that space is well-used for FCSS programming and by community groups for other purposes.
“It would not be ideal,” Keenan said.
