(Ponoka.ca)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

community supporter

Land transfer sets up long-term success for Ponoka Stampede

Mar 13, 2021 | 11:41 AM

The mayor of Ponoka says approval of a land transfer will allow the Ponoka Stampede and Exhibition Association to have long-term success and permanency.

Rick Bonnett and town council, this week, passed a motion which will see land transferred to the association where it already holds the Stampede. The land is located beside Highway 53, including the area occupied by the Stampede track, grandstands and suites, and the closed portion of 54 Street south of Hwy 53.

The Stampede Association has leased these 35.7 acres of land from the Town at no charge or for a nominal fee since the late 1930s. The carried motion is in accordance with a memorandum of understanding signed by the parties last June.

“The Stampede’s continued growth means it can continue to generate considerable economic benefit for our community by hosting a major tourism event that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Ponoka each summer,” says Bonnett.

“The economic benefits generated by the Stampede add up to millions of dollars when you consider the 35,000 visitors who attend the Stampede each summer, spend money at local businesses on things like restaurant meals, gas, hotel rooms and other purchases. The positive economic impact that the Stampede has on our community was greatly missed in 2020 due to COVID.”

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The Stampede Association is non-profit society, and in 2019 provided local community and sport groups with $251,000 in donations.

The Stampede also spent approximately $795,000 on operational purchases at local businesses in 2019 for items such as accommodations for performers, catering, tools and hardware, office supplies, and electrical and plumbing services.

For the land transfer to take effect, there must be a subdivision of the land on which the Stampede grounds are located from the lands on the north side of Highway 53 where the Ponoka Arena Complex is located. All fees for that process will be paid by the Stampede Association.

It also includes a buy-back option allowing the Town to purchase the land anytime over the next 80 years if the property is no longer being used for Stampede purposes, or if the association intends to sell the land or any portion of it. The buy-back price would be $1.

“The Ponoka Stampede Association appreciates the long history of collaboration and partnership between the Stampede and the Town over the past 85 years,” said Bruce Harbin, President of the Stampede Association. “This land transfer is an important next chapter in that long history, and as a community-based group that is run almost entirely by more than 1,000 volunteers from the local area, the Ponoka Stampede will always be committed to continuing to support the local community in numerous ways, including by supporting local non-profit groups that rely on the Stampede for donations and fundraising.”

The Stampede Association and the Town will now work together on an Area Structure Plan to guide future uses and development on the lands being transferred.