A local resident has proposed another site for the Bearspaw firehall.
Ken Waddell, of Ellmar Developments Ltd., sent a letter to the County dated Jan. 27, offering to donate land south of Highway 1A just off Bearspaw Road. He is also offering to construct the new firehall to the Countyís specifications.
The letter stated, ìEllmar proposes to lease the new fire hall back to the County with an option to purchase on terms favourable to the County.î
ìWe desperately want this firehall,î said Waddell, who has lived in Bearspaw for seven years. ìWe do need it, so there is some sense of urgency, but are we going to rush and put it in the wrong spot? We still have time to make the right decision.î
The County is currently proposing a location in the Lochend area as the preferred site.
According to Waddell, the response times from his proposed location, ìsite twoî just west of The Bears Den restaurant.
ìSite two would certainly serve a lot more people,î he said. ìThere is a lot of density of people close to where site two would be.î
Waddell, who doesnít own the parcel but has a business interest in it, said he is concerned about how the County handled the selection process.
ìOne of my concerns is that the decision has already been made,î he said. ìUsually you go to the public first with your selections.î
Waddell said he will understand if his proposed site is unsuitable, but would like the County to consider it and other possible locations for the firehall, as several residents have expressed concern about Rocky Viewís proposed location.
ìI live there and I just want it to be in the right spot,î he said.
According to Waddell, he has received no formal response from the County.
Area Councillor Al Sacuta said he was aware of Waddellís proposal, adding that a number of technical studies would have to be done before the site could be considered.
ìMy gut feeling right now is that I donít think it will be one of the better locations,î said Sacuta. ìOne of the main reasons is it very close to the city (Calgary), so a lot of the coverage area gets wasted covering the city. We miss a lot of the acreages and future Bearspaw communities.î
According to Sacuta, County staff is actively pursuing other solutions since residents have expressed concern about the current proposed location, citing noise, decreasing property values and lack of access as reasons the site should be reconsidered.
ìWe have heard the residents very clearly,î he said. ìI have 15 pages of their concerns and we are working on it. County administration is actively pursuing options.î
Sacuta said those options may be more viable since the City of Calgary recently announced a time extension on termination of its fire service coverage in the Bearspaw area, originally given as Jan. 31.
ìIt is my understanding that the City has given us one extension from the end of the year to mid next year,î he said. ìThat has given us a little time.î
Sacuta said he hopes the decision is finalized by June so the County has a year to design and construct the facility.
For more information on site two, contact Waddell at [email protected] or visit www.rockyview.ca for information on the current proposal.
