Wider gaze for recreation master plans

By Greg Price
Vauxhall Advance
gprice@tabertimes.com

Taber Recreation Board is pushing for a more regional view of recreation in the southern Alberta region to include Vauxhall, Enchant and Hays.

The recreation board had expressed interest in completion of the existing Taber recreation plan to include financial estimates for projects as well as timelines.

But while doing some research regarding the completion of the current recreation plan, another option presented itself in a document provided by RC Strategies.

“As a council we are required by 2020 I believe an inter-municipal collaboration framework which included recreation,” said Aline Holmen, director of recreation for the Town of Taber, via teleconference call at the Taber Recreation Board’s April meeting. “Regional recreation master plans are starting to happen with other municipalities and it makes me wonder if that is a better direction to go with shared costs. It wouldn’t have to be this year, If both councils (the town and M.D.) were in favour of it, it could be for next year so that there would be time to budget for it.”

John Turcato, the M.D. of Taber representative on the recreation board concurred with Holmen’s assessment, wanting to go one step further in drawing other municipalities into the discussion such as Barnwell and Vauxhall as well.

“I can only speak on behalf of the M.D., but I think it would be a good idea to have a regional plan for recreation,” said Turcato.

Louie Tams, town councillor, and recreation board member weighed both options of the local and regional recreation master plans and leans heavily towards the regional approach as well.

“If we are going to go look at a recreation master plan, we need to do it regionally so that we are looking after the Town of Taber, but also the M.D. and the neighbouring villages and towns that are around us. If we collaborate with all of us, we can probably come up with a way better plan that fits all of us without costing any one of us a great deal of money,” said Tams.

Taber Recreation Board passed unanimously a motion for Danielle Hansen, chairperson for the Taber Recreation Board and Aline Holmen, recreation manager for the Town of Taber to attend an upcoming M.D. of Taber meeting to discuss the possibility of partnering for a regional recreation master plan.

The next upcoming M.D. of Taber meeting is on May 8.

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