More detail needed for community centre: Parks Canada
By Geoff Morgan
Friday July 24, 2009
The proposal put forth to redevelop the Waterton Community Centre still has a few hoops to jump through –this recently from Parks Canada- before its granted full approval to move forward.
“It’s a good concept,” said Superintendent Dave McDonough of the proposal. Superintendent McDonough said the park supports the proposal at a conceptual level, though the document didn’t have sufficient detail for the park to make firm decisions one way or the other.
“They need to come back to us,” he said.
The Waterton Centre Redevelopment Committee is interested in constructing a new multi-purpose community centre at the site of the old Waterton schoolhouse (the current community centre) and the old Lions Hall (currently, the Waterton Community Hall).
The committee has prepared a series of conceptual drawings for the new community centre, but not a detailed architectural rendering at this point.
Parks Canada released a statement in March 2009, which lent its support for the community centre at a conceptual level.
Throughout the remainder of the summer, the Redevelopment Committee will further detail their plans for the community centre and rework their business plan to account for a new cost structure following the recession.
Within Waterton Lakes National Park –and all national parks throughout Canada- all proposed developments must be approved by Parks Canada, the government body responsible for the maintenance and development of national parks.
Parks Canada officials further explained that before the Waterton Centre is given the go-ahead, there is a development review process which all proposals must be put through. Proposals must receive a development permit, and a building permit to proceed. They must further be in conformance with the park’s Community Management Plan, with Park Management Plan, the National Building Code of Canada and any development must comply with the terms and conditions of its lease.
In practice, the proposal would see the existing Waterton Community Hall (the Lions Hall) torn down, and its footprint moved to the existing community centre (the Waterton schoolhouse). In effect, the size of the area occupied by the Hall would be transferred to the schoolhouse.
Both structures are properties of the Waterton Park Community Association, leased from the federal government through the national park.
According to Parks Canada officials, the current redevelopment project is consistent with the Community Management Plan and the terms of the lease. They warn however, that “a lot of steps” remain before the community centre gets off the ground.
The next step in the long process faced by the Redevelopment Committee happens Sept. 2009. Once detailed architectural renderings have been obtained, and the business plan reworked, the Redevelopment Committee will begin another series of public consultations with stakeholders at Waterton Lakes.
The first meeting on this issue was held Sept. 23, 2006, which began a period of public input planning sessions. A business plan was then developed through 2007-2008. A proposal was put to Parks Canada from the Waterton Park Community Association in May 2008. Three months later (July 8, 2008), the park released a communiqué stating it would not support the project as proposed. The Redevelopment Committee reworked their concept, and conceptual support was obtained for the proposal this past March.
The Community Association and the Redevelopment Committee both see the need for a redeveloped community centre within Waterton Townsite: both parties would like to see a facility where seniors can meet and greet, and which would provide additional space for funerals, weddings, retreats and other meetings.
The Redevelopment Committee initially proposed that certain Parks Canada offices be relocated to the redeveloped centre. However, park officials have been wary of relocating office space in the past.
Former Superintendent Rod Blair stated last season that Parks Canada did not want to be an “anchor tenant” at the redeveloped property. At present, Superintendent McDonough is awaiting further details from the committee on the proposal before discussions are held on whether or not to house any Parks Canada offices at the site.
In total, the Improvement District has contributed $15,000 to the project, the Community Association has contributed $15,000 and Community Futures Alberta Southwest has granted $75,000 to the project.
At present, the expected cost of redeveloping the community centre is about $5 Million.
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