Sylvan Lake is one step closer to purchasing the Sylvan Lake Provincial Park.
At Monday’s council meeting a motion was passed to offer purchase from the Province of Alberta.
This has been in the works since last December, when Council voted to have administration start discussions with the Province.
This does not yet make the decision final. The council must have the Offer to Purchase authorized by the Lieutenant Governor in Council – by Order in Council, and be signed by a duly authorized representative of the province.
Chief Administrative Officer Betty Osmond said she doesn’t know when authorization will be made by the provincial council.
“I’m not sure of a timeline on this. It could be a few weeks or longer, it depends on what is on the table before this topic comes up,” she said.
Originally ownership of the park was supposed to have changed hands already, but there was a few issues that had to be ironed out ahead of time.
“This is a little later than expected, but we were given the head’s up that it would likely take longer than we thought,” said Osmond.
Having ownership of the park will allow the Town to put their by-laws in place, and be able to take care of it.
The Town will be able to enforce municipal standards on the space.
Along with the agreement comes a $1.94 million grant. This grant will be used for upgrades to the park including restoring the trail system and any fixing tripping hazards in the park over the next 10 years.
Once the provincial park is apart of the town, it will remain public recreational space. Part of the agreement with the Province is the space will stay public space.
The Town will be able to place buildings along the space that are for the public, and not privately owned. This could include washrooms, a concession stand or a bandstand.
Council is now awaiting word from the Province about the deal and transfer date.
megan.roth@sylvanlakenews.com
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