Plans to provide water and wastewater service to Bragg Creek will be a huge opportunity for the community to foster new development according to a County of Rocky View councillor.
Members of the Bragg Creek Citizens Advisory Committee, presented what they termed a “win-win” water solution for the hamlet at the Rocky View infrastructure and operations meeting on April 16. Sunil Mattu and Sharon Bayer of the citizen committee presented a cost-share breakdown of the estimated $15.8-million project for consideration.
Coun. Liz Breakey said without water or wastewater servicing in the area, encouraging local development is next to impossible. She added there hasn’t been any development in the hamlet for almost 20 years.
Breakey, a supporter of the proposed plan, said providing safe potable water would help bring development back to the hamlet.
She said 30 of the 63 businesses in the hamlet are paying top dollar to pump-in water, some as much as $50,000 a year.
If a water and wastewater solution is found, she said, there are “wonderful developments on the horizon,” including plans for hamlet expansion near the school.
“There are 200 students and they are virtually all from Redwood Meadows,” she said, stressing the school is in danger of shutting down because of the lack of local students. She added it is imperative to get more people, including younger families in the area, to keep the hamlet alive.
Through a local improvement tax, residents and businesses will pay $5.8 million of the total cost of the water/wastewater project. The advisory committee proposes residents pay 40 per cent of the $5.8 million or $2.32 million. This would break down to $967 a year or $81 a month. Businesses would pay $3.5 million to make up the difference.
As for the remaining costs, $3 million has already been secured through grants and is dedicated to building the wastewater line along River Drive South this year and $5 million is expected to come from grants or other funding sources. Mattu and Bayer asked council to consider approving an additional $2 million from taxes this year so the water line could be trenched at the same time.
“We want the water and wastewater line at the same time to save time and money and to lessen the environmental impact,” said Mattu.
When questioned by council, Byron Riemann, manager of infrastructure and operations at the County, confirmed $5 million grant is not “nailed down.” If grants are not received, the $5 million will be taken on as County debt to be recovered by developers, he explained.
Reeve Rolly Ashdown expressed hesitation in the proposal.
“I don’t want people in seven years to say that we were front-ending this,” he said, referring to council’s decision in 2007 to enter into a cost share agreement with the Lakes of Muirfield developers to create a sanitary pipe from the Dalroy to the Langdon Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Expected development never came to the area, which would have helped pay to complete the line. Instead, since 2008, the County has been trucking wastewater from the Lakes of Muirfield to the Chestermere lift station.
This service has cost $235,000 more per year than Rocky View receives in service fees.
The deficit is covered through general tax dollars.
Coun. Margaret Bahcheli pointed out these two situations aren’t comparable and said in Bragg Creek 70 per cent of the funding is coming from residents where the situation Ashdown was referring to was 100 per cent front-ended by the County.
Coun. Al Sacuta said council shouldn’t worry how this will look and should instead focus on “getting this right.”
He said he does not like front-loading debt and his preference would be to get an interested developer involved, but if that is not an option, he would be willing to support this initiative.
The remaining members of council also showed support for the initiative saying it is a worthwhile project.
“I will support this because it is exactly what we need to do,” said Ashdown. “I just want the entire community to understand exactly what we are getting into.”
The committee accepted the presentation and asked for a council workshop to discuss the proposal before having it brought back to council for consideration.
