Managing growth and increasing recreation opportunities are top priorities for an Okotoks council candidate.
Dusty Froom has lived in Okotoks for more than 16 years, and said he decided to run for a seat in council chambers because he was unhappy with the direction the town was headed.
“I’m just getting tired of watching the town I fell in love with turn into a suburb of Calgary,” said Froom.
To help bring Okotoks back to its roots, he said the town should pull out of the Calgary Metropolitan Region Growth Board and its growth plan, and change how developments are planned.
He said the CMRB plan could pigeonhole the town into more of a bedroom community.
“We need to be getting away from the control of that municipal regional board, where Calgary decides how we develop so down the road if Calgary decides, they can envelop our town,” said Froom. “I think people like being their own little autonomous town, and I think it’s a good goal to head for.”
As for development, he said a return to the good old days would make Okotoks more attractive for families to live and stay.
That means moving away from the dense planning and back to neighbourhoods like those built in the 1980s, such as Suntree, Tower Hill or Woodhaven.
“Places where single families buy a house and they stay for 40 years,” said Froom. “Not these little houses people are purchasing and flipping around in two years because they’re too small for their families, they outgrow them.”
Part of creating that image includes attracting from recreation-oriented business to town so people can live, work and play in their own community, he said.
Young people do not have many options for entertainment in Okotoks, he said.
“We’ve got the water park, the skate park, the movie theatre, the bowling alley – after that, there’s nothing,” said Froom. “Everything else is in Calgary.”
The next council should be focused on bringing in more child-centric and family-centric businesses, particularly in the entertainment industry, he said.
Council should also pay more attention to what its residents are saying when it comes to the town’s direction, and let citizens dictate the trajectory of Okotoks planning and development.
“The people of the town should be the ones making big decisions,” said Froom. “Government is supposed to make the mundane, every-day decisions that operate a town. They’re not supposed to make the massive decisions that affect everybody without consulting them.”
Having attended some open houses and information sessions, he said the events don’t seem to be held to gauge public interest or receive feedback, but more so to inform residents of decisions that have already been made.
Area structure plans are one example, such as the one for development south of Big Rock Trail that will see a considerable population added to the southwest end of town, he said.
“They’re planning on doing a massive development and less than half the town even knows what’s happening there,” said Froom.
He wants to listen to what people have to say, and bring it back to the council table without injecting his own personal opinion or bias.
It’s something Froom said he’s learned how to do as a community volunteer with the Okotoks Kinsmen and as a small business owner. Hearing people out and taking their concerns seriously is an important part of service, he said.
“I’m willing to listen to everybody,” said Froom. “I may not agree with them and I’m sure some definitely don’t agree with me on the direction I see the town, but just because people disagree doesn’t mean we’ve got to fight.”
To achieve the goals he sees for Okotoks, he said the Town and its new council will have to finalize a solution for water and curb its spending.
Many people have voiced the tax rate in town is getting out of hand, he said.
“Maybe reining in the spending would be a good start to fixing how we’re taxing our citizens,” said Froom.
