Turner Valley youngsters could be shooting hoops on a new basketball court as early as September after receiving a little help from their friends.
Turner Valley town council decided at its June 17 meeting to contribute $25,000 from its operating reserve fund toward a multi-sport asphalt complex on Turner Valley School grounds.
The request came from the elementary school’s parent council, which has worked to upgrade the school grounds for years. After raising $160,000 for playground equipment upgrades, the dilapidated basketball, tetherball and four-square courts are next on its list, said playground committee member Becky Mowatt.
“We’re very excited that they see this as a good investment at this time,” Mowatt said of council’s decision. “We’re using money left over from our playground projects. We’re looking to maximize the playground money to reinvest back into the playground.”
The $51,650 project includes a 500-square-metre junior high basketball court with adjustable nets, two four-square courts, two tetherball courts and a court for badminton and pickleball.
The project received support from most councillors, including some who have children attending the school.
Coun. Cindy Holladay said the school currently has 10-foot-tall basketball hoops, meaning its 250 students have a basketball court they can’t use.
“This would provide movable hoops,” she said of the plan. “Concentrating our money in our recreation around things for youth, I don’t think there is anything better we can be doing so I support it fully.”
Coun. Lana Hamilton agreed, saying the project would provide recreation to the entire community.
“Pickleball is huge in our senior community, so there could be some friends hanging out at the schoolyard,” she said. “I think collaboration with these other revenue sources allows us to get a great facility for our kids.”
Mayor Barry Crane said he expects the new courts to get a lot of use.
“The were 30 kids out there this weekend playing basketball,” he told council. “This is just another enhancement to the playground we invested in earlier.”
Voting against the motion was Coun. John Waring, the alternate council representative on the Parks, Pathways and Recreation Advisory Committee (PPRAC).
Waring said he struggles to justify paying $25,000 for the project after council and administration spent so much time cutting $200,000 from the 2019 operating budget to prevent a municipal tax increase.
“We’re trying to be more effective with the money we spend,” he said. “We’re trying to look at cost cuts, efficiencies.”
Waring told council the Town already spent $10,000 from its parks and recreation budget to support new playground equipment at the school, and that the PPRAC has a long list of projects it plans to bring to council for approval.
“We all get very sympathetic because it’s something for the school and for the children, but there are other people in town that might benefit from us spending the money in a different way,” he said.
Coun. Jamie Wilkie said while he understands Waring’s concerns, the flip side is the Town is contributing $25,000 towards a $56,000 investment in recreational facilities.
“I know there are a lot of other opportunities out there, but we’re doubling up our money and this is helping the youth as well,” he said.
Wilkie said he would like to see a joint use agreement established between the Town and Foothills School Division.
Recent changes to the Municipal Government Act encourages municipalities to work with school divisions to enter into joint use agreements to maximize the use of public dollars and facilities, while promoting partnerships, chief administrative officer Todd Sharpe told council.
The Town has reached out to the division, said Sharpe, but negotiations have not yet begun. He said an agreement could take months to draft.
In the meantime, Sharpe said he sees the parent council’s proposal as a benefit for the town.
“It’s leveraging our money in partnerships with the school division,” he said. “It’s in line with a key strategic priority that invests in infrastructure and supports quality lifestyles.”
If the project costs less money than is budgeted, the unused funds will be returned to the Town, according to the RFD in the June 17 council agenda.
