A one-time grant of $200,000 from the City of Chestermere has ensured the Chestermere Regional Community Association (CRCA) will be able to continue operating into the fall, allowing the board to transition to their new revitalization plan.
“This association has been in existence for a long time, but there were a number of questionable things that went on in the past,” said Mel Foat, current president of CRCA. “It’s been a real challenge for the members of the new board to step up and try to move forward from what’s happened.”
According to Rocky View County (RVC) Communications Manager Grant Kaiser, these “questionable” activities included a number of conflict of interest and management issues with previous board members, which led to the County withdrawing funding from the organization.
Until the summer of 2014, RVC had enjoyed what Kaiser described as an “excellent” relationship with the CRCA for more than 30 years, since the CRCA owns and operates the Chestermere Regional Recreation Complex on land owned by RVC. Kaiser said RVC has not charged the CRCA rent or fees for use of the land – in fact, he said RVC has provided the CRCA with more than $1.35 million since 2008 alone.
“Now, it seems like (RVC) administration is coming up with all kinds of hoops for us to jump through,” Foat said. “One of these things was a request for us to change our bylaws relating to conflict of interest, but, according to Corporate Affairs and Service Alberta, our current bylaws are just fine. The problem was that the policy was not followed, which is what got the previous board in trouble.”
Another issue, said Foat, is that any bylaw decision needs to be approved by the members of the CRCA, who only meet once per year. The Annual General Meeting is scheduled for November, which is when Foat said the bylaws will be reviewed again.
“Our bylaws are currently with the lawyer getting the changes recommended by RVC, because we would like to move forward and rebuild that relationship,” Foat said. “If RVC still decides to withhold the funding slotted for us, that’s something we as a board will have to work around. It won’t be easy, but we are trying to be self-sustaining.”
In an effort to move the CRCA toward its five- and 10-year revitalization plans, the City of Chestermere provided the organization with the one-time grant following a special meeting on July 13. While the City does not own or have any governing authority in the recreation centre, Deputy Mayor Christopher Steeves said it was important for council to ensure all residents have the opportunity to access recreational programming.
“We have confidence in the CRCA and what they are trying to do. We are looking forward to seeing them thrive and prosper for not only the residents of Chestermere but also the RVC residents who use this facility on a regular basis,” he said. “We love this centre and we love our partnership with the CRCA, so we were willing to provide a one-time grant to help them work toward their sustainability program. We want to ensure they have a chance to see their plan come to fruition.”
Foat said the grant has been used to take care of some “immediate” concerns for the facility, like repairs to the drainage system and parking lot. The board has plans for future fundraising efforts and sponsorship opportunities to try and secure funds to become more self-sufficient.
“We’ve got an amazing staff, but we’ve had to do a lot of restructuring to try and save money,” he said. “But the goal we have in mind is to provide a great recreation facility for our city and county residents – for kids, for adults, for families to come and meet here and enjoy what we have to offer.”
