Beiseker council postpones recreation agreement with County

Beiseker council postponed a decision on a cost sharing agreement with Rocky View County, July 24.

The agreement, which would see the County and Village each contribute $20,000 annually to recreation facilities and programs in Beiseker, is proposed to be in place for five years, starting in September.

“Eventually when we hammer all the details out we are hoping that everybody in this area will be paying their fair share of costs for recreation in this area,” said Beiseker Mayor Ray Courtman.

“We’ve always felt we were paying the lion’s share of the costs for these facilities.”

According to Courtman, the Village and the County have maintained a recreation cost sharing agreement in the past because it has been mutually beneficial.

The Village receives funding and rural residents have access to Beiseker’s

recreational facilities and programs such as the arena, community hall, Friendship Park and a winter hockey program.

“The arena is a very expensive building to maintain and a lot of the kids that use the arena are from out of the village,” Courtman said.

“(Costs are) shared by the people in the village and the people that live in the rural areas around us.”

Courtman is confident the agreement will be beneficial for both the Rocky View and Beiseker residents.

“The relationship between rural residents and urban residents out here has been very close,” he said.

Courtman said without the County’s support, the Village’s programs would be altered.

“I don’t think you could separate between the rural and urban residents,” he said, adding that he is confident the two municipalities will come to an agreement.

“It’s just a matter of hammering out how much (funding will take place). I’m sure that we can work out some equitable agreement.”

Further discussions regarding the recreation cost sharing agreement will take place at the August 13 Village of Beiseker meeting.