Council was presented with two locations for the construction of a new skate park and mountain bike park during a committee-of-the-whole meeting, April 26.
According to the proposal, the skate park would be rebuilt where it鈥檚 currently located, between the Jasper Activity Centre and the town鈥檚 tennis courts, and the bike park would be built between the train tracks and Connaught Drive, just east of the town鈥檚 western entrance.
If council approves both locations on May 17, the Jasper Skate Park Committee and the Jasper Park Cycling Association will be able to move forward with their plans and begin applying for grants.
鈥淲e believe where the skate park is currently located is the best spot for it,鈥� said Patti Urie, who spoke at the meeting on behalf of the Jasper Skate Park Committee.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping that we can move forward with a letter from you guys so we can apply for grants and start the wheels in motion,鈥� said Urie, adding the group should be able to pay for the skate park through grants.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing little fundraisers to add to our little pot of cash that we have in the hopes this is going to move forward, but we can鈥檛 do anything until we have a designated spot.鈥�
During the meeting there was a question about whether the skate park and the mountain bike park could be incorporated into one area. The idea was considered by both groups, but ultimately rejected.
According to Urie, the mountain bike park would be located in a wooded area with dirt features tailored specifically for bikes, whereas the skate park would be made out of cement specially made for skateboards and scooters, making it impossible to incorporate both parks into a single area.
There were also questions raised about how to police the skate park and keep noise levels to a minimum so it doesn鈥檛 disturb tennis players next door.
While Urie acknowledged council鈥檚 concerns, she said issues around illegal activity are not specific to one area of town, pointing to the recent vandalism that happened in the pedestrian underpass as an example. She also supported the idea of installing a camera, if need be.
As for noise issues, she said the committee could ask the designers to incorporate a sound barrier between the park and the tennis courts.
Coun. Dwain Wacko also asked Urie to get a letter of support from the Jasper Junior/Senior High School in light of several concerns Mark Crozier, the school鈥檚 principal, raised in an earlier letter to council.
Following the skate park presentation, Matt Staneland with the Jasper Park Cycling Association, discussed the proposed location of the bike park.
鈥淚鈥檝e been working on this for a couple years now and we analyzed a few spots and this just kept coming back as the ideal spot,鈥� said Staneland of the wooded area across from the Mount Robson Inn. He said people are already using the area as an informal bike park and it鈥檚 accessible from the trail system.
鈥淥nce this gets in place we can start applying for environmental assessments and start applying for grants and really get the ball rolling.鈥�
According to Fercho, three locations were originally considered, but ultimately the area between the train tracks and Connaught Drive near the town鈥檚 western entrance was picked as the best possible location.
He said the area is currently zoned as a residential area, but if council approves the location it could stipulate that if there are any future housing proposals in that area, housing would be given first priority.
He also told councillors that there are federal guidelines stating any residential construction must be set back 30 metres from the tracks, but that these guidelines don鈥檛 apply for recreational uses, such as a bike park.
Coun. Rico Damota asked whether locations outside of the townsite had been considered and stressed housing must take precedent in any situation.
鈥淗ousing trumps everything as far as I鈥檓 concerned,鈥� said Damota. 鈥淲e have a need in this town that needs to be addressed and as much as I鈥檇 like to have an ideal spot especially in the townsite [for a bike park] we鈥檝e got to look at the big picture.鈥�
Staneland acknowledged Damota鈥檚 concern, but emphasized that if the bike park and was built outside of town it wouldn鈥檛 be as well utilized. He also accepted the fact that if a housing proposal was brought forward in the future it would be given priority over the bike park.
There were also questions from councillors about who would be responsible for maintaining the bike park whether the municipality would require additional insurance.
Bruce Thompson, director of operations, said he wasn鈥檛 overly concerned, but said the municipality would need to create a maintenance agreement to stipulate who is responsible for what.
Randal Riddell, who was filling in for Yvonne McNabb, director of culture and recreation, said he was fairly confident the municipality would not need additional insurance, but would double-check to be certain.
Both plans will be presented to council on May 3 and a request for decision on the locations will be presented on May 17.
Paul Clarke
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