Campground getting $1 million in repairs

Camping in southern Alberta is the last thing on most minds in mid-February, except in Black Diamond.

A community task force is spending the cooler months making plans to design 22 full service sites, install underground services and replace destroyed buildings at the north end of the Bob Lochhead Memorial Park, formerly called Centennial Park Lions Club Campground, to repair damage from the 2013 flood. The committee consists of members of Black Diamond Town council, the Foothills Lions Club and Urban Systems, an engineering firm in Calgary.

“Our interest is to give people a good camping experience in the Black Diamond area so they come back and they have fond memories of our town,” said James Lee, a member of the task force as well as chairman of the reconstruction committee with the Foothills Lions Club. “There are people that love what we have here and they love being here. It will be so exciting to see it all come together.”

Since the Sheep River filled the 68-site campground with water, carried away buildings, signs, picnic tables and fire pits and washed away land in the 2013 flood, the Foothills Lions Club has repaired 27 full-service sites and created a large tenting area at the south side of the grounds with the help of $42,000 in Disaster Relief Program (DRP) funding.

“The three months following the flood we put 1,700 man hours into that park as our dedication to putting it right for our community,” said Lee. “This is our major source of funding. It ends up in several different groups within the community.”

The Town was approved for another $1 million in DRP monies earlier this year to complete repairs and reconstruct the campground.

Once the ground thaws 22 new sites will be constructed and the office updated, with an awning and western boomtown motif front. The work will be done by mid-June

Lee said the water and sewer lines have been pressure tested to ensure there are no leaks and those will be extended to the new sites at the north end of the campground.

He added the campground will be more up-to-date with 50 amp electrical outlets, rather than the previous 30, a community events board, hot water on demand in the showers, stainless steal outdoor washing facility for campers and larger sites. Future plans include a walking trail on the berm and an amphitheater.

“We are just trying to modernize the campground a little bit,” Lee said. “This is a big economic driver for the town and there’s certainly been some enthusiasm. I think it will be a real boost for the community.”

Lee said the club has come a long way since the campground was damaged almost two years ago.

“I knew it was going to be a lot of pain and misery to get there and a lot of hard work,” he said. “We are grateful that we got a great relationship working with Urban Systems and the Town of Black Diamond. I believe Mayor Sharlene Brown did an excellent job in working with all the parties involved to secure the funding.”

Brown, also a member of the task force, said the campground has been a priority in the Town’s flood recovery efforts.

“From a Town perspective that’s a great economic development opportunity and we are really looking forward to this project being completed,” she said. “The campground is a great asset to our community. I’m really looking forward to having this all completed. It’s one step closer to our recovery.”

Brown said she’s glad the campground will be in full operation this spring after it lost land and sites due to the flood and placement of the new berm.

She hopes it won’t only become a hub for campers, but also residents of Black Diamond once the pathway and amphitheater are complete.

“The community doesn’t have a real gathering point,” she said.

“It’s a great opportunity, especially during the summer months, to be able to have a space or place where we can gather as a community.”