By Adam Ophus

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Special meeting answers questions about North Saskatchewan River Park

Sep 19, 2019 | 12:01 PM

The Town of Rocky Mountain House held a special council meeting on Wednesday about the sensitive topic of the North Saskatchewan River Park, and how it should be run.

Nearly 70 members of the public attended the meeting at the Christenson Sports and Wellness Centre.

In a letter shared with event sponsors this past July, RMCA president Brad Smith said this year’s edition of the Battle of the Rockies WPCA event would be the last at North Saskatchewan River Park because the fees given to the RCMA from RASA made hosting the event no longer feasible. Smith also said co-operation with RASA and the Town of Rocky Mountain House had fallen into disarray.

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Wes Amendt, Director of Community Services for the Town of Rocky Mountain House, summarized the current operations of the park at Wednesday’s meeting, stating that as per a lease agreement, the current annual rent for the grounds from the Rocky Agriculture and Stampede Association (RASA) is $1.00 a year. The town also receives 10% for all bookings of the rodeo grounds from RASA and will assist with the preparation of license agreements with other users as well.

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RASA president Gary Duft and treasurer Ann Lynn reiterated the hard work their organization has put into the grounds.

“I don’t think we should forget what RASA has put into that facility, to get it where it is today,” stated Lynn. “Every year that revenue is built in there and we put all that revenue back into that facility.”

Councillor Len Phillips asked, “The current structure and system we have in place, is this working?”

“I would say no, or we wouldn’t be having this meeting,” Duft replied.

Garry Berthiaume spoke at the meeting on behalf of the Rocky Mountain Chuckwagon Association.

“The rules and regulations on how we deal with the contracts with RASA and the Town are not perfectly clear,” he explained, adding that there has been increased difficulty with funding the event and finding sponsors.

Mayor Tammy Burke followed up with the question that was on everyone’s mind.

“So are you saying it’s not cancelled?” she asked.

“It’s not,” Berthiaume replied. “Here’s where we’re at, we can’t go and sign a three or five year contract with WPCA without some kind of assurance going down the road.”

Burke concluded Wednesday’s meeting by noting that the public is seeking “communication, collaboration and consistency” regarding future operations of North Saskatchewan River Park.