Development was a hot topic for many of the Irricana residents that attended IdeaFest, hosted by the Town of Irricana at the Irricana Lions Community Hall on Feb. 20 and Feb. 22.
The event aimed to gather residents’ short-term and long-term visions for Irricana to be used by council in developing the four-year Strategic Plan, while also informing attendees about the various administrative departments and programs offered by the Town.
“We love these events. It gives us the opportunity to show what we do, and in return, get information from residents on what they would like to see,” said Chief Administrative Officer Alvin Melton.
He added about 30 people attended between the two days.
Many of the councillors on hand at the event said a common top-priority heard from residents is to encourage development.
“People do want to see residential development. I think if we can get the residential development going, the commercial base will come. We need to get more people in and get the population growing,” said Councillor Kim Schmaltz, adding he thinks “growth (in the Town) has been stagnant for some time.”
He said the town has many positive qualities to offer to new residents.
“It’s a good place to live because of the safety. It’s a nice quiet community… and neighbors look after each other,” he said.
Dan Bernhard, a 25-year resident of Irricana, said he thinks offering a residential development that specifically allows larger garage space compared to the house would provide a unique attraction, especially for the classic-car collectors in the area.
He said current bylaws typically resist that type of development.
“We have the baby boomers empty nesting, and you’re ending up with one or two people living in a 2,000- or 4,000-square-foot house just so they can get enough garages, which is ridiculous,” said Berhard, an avid collector of classic cars.
He said offering a development that provides smaller homes with larger garages would be beneficial to the numerous car collectors in Irricana and the surrounding areas.
Deputy Mayor Dennis Tracz said all of the suggestions provided will be considered by council to develop the Strategic Plan.
At the event, booths were set-up around the Irricana Lions Community Hall providing details about the various departments, including Economic Development and Tourism, Public Works, Community Services and Recreation, and Planning and Development. Residents were asked to complete a questionnaire at each booth, providing comments on each department regarding the level of service currently offered and ideas to enhance the services in the future.
Melton said 14 people responded to the surveys, and the results will be provided to council during the final phase of developing the Strategic Plan.
Mayor Valerie Squires said she “was very happy with the turnout at the event.”
“I’ve (received) amazing feedback on some of the things we have been doing and some of the things we should be doing, some of the things that are working and the ones that aren’t,” she said.
“That’s exactly what we want, that way we’ve got a better synopsis of what people do want and what they want to see, and how they perceive things as they are right now,” Squires added.
The Strategic Plan is expected to be complete by late April.
