Correction: A previous version of this article quoted Chestermere's mayor as saying the vote was 4-3 by Rocky View County council. The vote was in fact unanimous. We apologize for this error.
Rocky View County council cancelled the City of Chestermere’s purchase offer of the Chestermere Recreation Centre, following a closed item session at their June 14 council meeting.
The decision by Rocky View County (RVC) council directed County staff to withdraw from current and future negotiations with the City of Chestermere for the sale of the lakeside community’s primary recreational facility.
Currently, the recreation centre is operated by the Chestermere Regional Community Association (CRCA), but the facility and the land it’s situated on are owned by RVC, despite sitting well within Chestermere’s boundaries.
RVC has contributed funding to the centre at different times in the past, but RVC was unable to provide the amount. When reached, the County did not provide further comment as to its recent decision to withdraw from the sale.
“It is with incredible disbelief and disappointment that I need to bring forward news that Rocky View County Council voted...to cancel our City’s purchase offer at the RVC June 14, 2022 council meeting,” stated Chestermere’s Mayor Jeff Colvin in a press release.
According to the statement, RVC Mayor Don Kochan indicated that council agreed with the terms successfully negotiated by both municipalities’ staff.
After 35 years of disagreement between the two municipalities, Colvin called this agreement an incredible feat.
Once the municipal inspection is completed or the municipal affairs scope is confirmed, RVC may reconsider the purchase, according to Colvin.
“I mentioned my surprise that four of Rocky View's councillors made this decision, as our Municipal Inspection is not remotely connected to the recreation centre purchase,” he said. “As the recreation centre purchase and revitalization was for the families and kids of both Rocky View and Chestermere and this delay will stop our in-progress construction plans and drawings, and city/developer joint investment for this site for this year. [It will also] cancel the sports courts construction as we will miss the season, as we were ready to fast-track the basketball, tennis, pickleball, volleyball, and splash park construction.”
Chestermere City council will evaluate other locations for the various recreation centre facilities to be built in order to move forward with recreation amenities in Chestermere. A Sports Plex is already in the works, to be connected to the new trades high school site in Chelsea, Colvin stated.
“Though if we head in this direction, this will mean that we will have to forgo development and revitalization of the CRCA lands for some time, due to costs of building two rec facilities at the same time,” he added.
Colvin noted he will not give up on the CRCA recreation site and that future plans will be kept under wraps until they are finalized.
The Chestermere Recreation Centre is an integral part of the City of Chestermere, serving as the main venue for community recreation, according to Melinda Lundy, the City’s communications team lead.
The decision to terminate the cost-sharing agreement with RVC was made in 2016 by Chestermere’s previous council.
The centre was set to close in 2019 over structural concerns about the facility’s roof and the possible safety implications. The decision was reversed days later at a special meeting of the council.
Construction on a new recreation centre in Chestermere broke ground on Aug. 19, 2021 that was expected to open in 2023. That project was later terminated in November 2021.
