In-Depth: Why hasn’t River Bend’s $1.7 million loan been repaid to the City in 20 years?
It is a predicament many municipalities find themselves in: a beneficial amenity to the community but at what cost to those who run it? This remains the question for Red Deer’s River Bend Golf & Recreation Area (River Bend).
On November 21, city council approved second and third reading of a bylaw amendment to defer loan payments from the River Bend Golf & Recreation Society (Society) to the City for another two years from a previous $1.7 million loan request approved in 2004. Councillors Victor Doerksen and Bruce Buruma did not approve the amendment.
Since 1982, the 420 acre park provides year round recreation opportunities for citizens through a golf, cross country ski, and biathlon course, a clubhouse, Discovery Canyon water park, trail system, boat launch and more. While the City owns the area, The City established The Society as a non-profit association in 1989 to manage and operate the site and make it accessible and affordable to the public while returning revenue for the City to reinvest back into the park’s maintenance.
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