Black Diamond Town council says it’s pulling out of its bid for the 2022 Alberta Summer Games if the event isn't postponed until the following year.
The decision follows a presentation the Alberta Summer Games board of directors made to council at its July 15 meeting and the announcement that the 2020 Alberta Summer Games in Lethbridge is postponed until 2021.
“We’re trying to push everything an extra year,” said Mayor Ruth Goodwin. “It’s a year of being able to raise the funds and building up our volunteer reserve, as well as donations. We don’t know when COVID is going to be properly dealt with so larger groups of people can congregate in areas. It’s more practical and prudent to wait that additional year.”
The Towns of Okotoks and Black Diamond filed a $2.45 million bid for the 2022 Alberta Summer Games in May 2019. The bid has since been reduced to $1.7 million due to the impact COVID-19 is having on the economy.
Last spring, the board of directors sent a request to the Province to postpone those potential Okotoks-based games to July 2023.
Among its concerns is having enough time to fundraise to cover a portion of the costs to host the games, particularly with businesses struggling after most had to close temporarily or reduce services due to physical distancing and mass gathering restrictions issued by Alberta Health.
“The committee and Okotoks town council’s feeling is if we don’t have the extra year to get ready we will withdraw the bid,” Susan Laurin, Okotoks community services director, told Black Diamond council at her presentation last week.
Laurin said the letter of request also inquired if the Province will provide additional funds due to the challenges the Towns could face with fundraising.
While the communities would face several struggles if selected to host the Alberta Summer Games, Laurin said the event could help significantly with business recovery.
“Hosting the Alberta Summer Games brings an economic impact to our region,” she said. “We’re looking at 2,800 to 3,000 athletes, at least 3,500 spectators and 45 to 50 media and VIP.”
Visitor spending is estimated at more than $1 million, said Laurin, with more than $800,000 worth of supplies and services expected to be purchased from local businesses.
“That’s money back into our small businesses,” she told council.
The cost of hosting the games is expected to be covered by $525,000 worth of grants, $350,000 from Okotoks’ municipal reserves, $225,000 in donations, $370,000 in fundraising and $230,000 in revenue generated from sales.
Laurin said the board of directors researched the financial impact the games had on similar-sized communities adjacent to major centres like Leduc, Sherwood Park and Airdrie, and found that most broke even or experienced a slight profit.
If the Towns are successful in their bid, Okotoks will host the majority of the events and Black Diamond will supply a mountain bike trail. Mountain biking is one of up to 15 individual and team sports the athletes - ranging in age from 11 to 17 - will compete in over three days.
Coun. Brian Marconi, who, in a recorded vote, opposed council’s motion to maintain its bid if the Games are postponed a year, said council needs more information.
“We need to understand if our businesses are supportive and if will they will contribute, how much the mountain bike course is going to cost and are grants available,” he said. “We need to go back to the last couple of host cities and find out what their costs were and what grants they were able to access.”
Council requested that the board of directors present to the Diamond Valley Chamber of Commerce, Inter-municipal Economic Development Committee and local businesses sometime this summer, and directed its administration to look into the cost of constructing a mountain biking track for the games and look into partnering with a mountain biking association for track maintenance.
Goodwin said she supports the Town's involvement if the games are postponed, as the event would draw more people to Black Diamond and put the town on the map.
She added that the Alberta Summer Games fits with the Town’s strategic plan.
“Part of council’s strategic plan from three years ago was to increase recreational programs and facilities and increase the opportunity for people to congregate at community spaces,” she said. “I believe that hosting the Alberta Summer Games would attract world-class mountain bikers. We live so close to the mountains that we have a lot of people who love mountain biking and do it for pleasure and competition.”
Goodwin said the Town has not yet determined where the mountain biking track would be built.
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