An Edmonton city councillor responsible for the Anthony Henday area said it is “too early” to talk about putting money toward St. Albert’s future recreation centre.
But Ward 2 Coun. Bev Esslinger said Edmonton sees the municipalities in the region as “essential partners” and it is always beneficial finding ways to work together.
“I'm sure there will be more conversations on what does the region need and how can we work together,” she said. “I think that's the opportunity now with St. Albert.”
On Monday, St. Albert city council picked a site in the city’s northwest to locate a future recreation facility. They also approved a collaboration agreement with the City of Edmonton, which will provide a framework for planning and funding future recreation services.
The agreement, called an Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF), does not commit partners to cost sharing. But St. Albert’s future recreation centre is listed as an item for future discussions.
“We're way too early to even consider that,” Esslinger said, when asked about Edmonton contributing capital. “But again, we start by working together to figure out if there's an opportunity and ... and I don't think we know what that is yet.”
Esslinger said there may be some regional “synergies” coming out of Edmonton council pausing its $321.3-million Lewis Farms rec centre project, but the city remains “committed” to the project into the future.
Filling the gap
New recreation services in St. Albert will not materialize tomorrow, and until shovels are in the ground, Mayor Cathy Heron said immediate needs could be filled through regional partnerships.
On Tuesday, she noted in an interview an “all-access pass” for community organizations as a possibility. Currently, St. Albert organizations, such as hockey, lacrosse and figure skating, get a reduced rate to use city facilities, but Edmonton groups do not.
“So maybe it was to provide some better reduced rate for St. Albert teams, we could do the same for Edmonton – sort of like an all access pass for the regions,” she said. “That's kind of what I'm looking for. Because then maybe we don't need to build this ice as quickly.”
Heron added St. Albert has some services Morinville has need of, and vice-versa.
“Those are the conversations that are bigger, and I think more productive than every little municipality building their own thing,” she said.
