The yellow denotes the proposed area for the new recreation facility (Photo: City of Grande Prairie)

By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

New rec facility going to Smith subdivision

Oct 19, 2020 | 9:05 PM

By a narrow 5-4 vote, and after a lengthy discussion, Grande Prairie City Council has voted in favour of building a new activity and recreation facility in the Smith subdivision.

The site will serve as a recreation facility for the neighbourhood, as well as a venue where the City can conduct emergency and crisis response.

It will be built on three acres of vacant land along Park Road. The exact plans are not yet finalized.

There had been some discussion about building the facility in the Cobblestone area, next to Riverstone School.

Some members of Council decided the Smith neighbourhood was an area where such a facility was badly needed, adding it did not make sense to build a recreation facility next to a school.

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The money for the project will come from province’s ICIP COVID-19 Resilience Stream, which will cover 80 per cent of the cost. The remainder will be covered by the City.

The caveat with the stimulus funding from the province is that the project must be completed by the end of 2021.

RELATED: Another $9.1 million allocated for Grande Prairie infrastructure stimulus projects

The Grande Spirit Foundation told Council that it needed land so it could plan for a new seniors’ facility, adding there is a need for over 150 continuing care beds in Grande Prairie.

The remaining eight acres on the site are still set aside for the Foundation.

Mayor Bill Given and Councillors Eunice Friesen, Chris Thiessen, and Clyde Blackburn voted against the Smith proposal.

Given was concerned about how the province would react since the money raised selling old affordable housing properties in the Mountview area was used to buy this land on the understanding it would be used for housing.

Others had hoped putting this in Cobblestone would prompt more development in that area.