Freda Reid enjoys a sunny day at Lions Park in Okotoks with her son and grandson, Don and Trevor, Saturday, Feb. 23. Okotoks is planning substantial upgrades to several local parks. Wheel file photo |
By Don Patterson
Staff Reporter
Okotoks park areas will benefit under the second phase of the Town’s capital budget, approved by council on March 25.
The budget includes $440,000 in park improvements including pathway upgrades and new playground equipment.
The budget includes $150,000 in park upgrades for five parks, with new playground equipment being installed at Kinsmen, Dixon and Carr parks. New benches, garbage containers or turf upgrades could also be done at the parks.
“I think it’s excellent to get a new play structure in there to keep kids outdoors and using those spaces,” said Christa Michailuck, Okotoks open spaces coordinator.
Under the budget, $190,000 will go towards pathway and court upgrades throughout town.
Michailuck said the biggest pathway upgrade will be in Dixon Park, located on Downey Road, where an existing red shale path will be paved.
“It’s high use. It’s a main connector in the pathway system,” she said.
Two courts in Wilson and Hughes Parks will be upgraded. The courts, which are primarily used for ball hockey, will receive a new layer of asphalt.
In addition, $100,000 will go towards turf and urban forest improvements to help with pest management in the town’s parks.
Allen Jenkins, Okotoks financial services manager, said this will become an annual process.
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He said the park upgrades will become part of the Town’s operating budget in coming years and additional improvements will also be considered in the future.
Much of the budget is comprised of upgrade projects throughout the town, including:
A $120,000 upgrade of information technology.
$15,000 for Town gateway signage.
$100,000 in miscellaneous transportation repairs.
The majority of funding for the projects will come from the Town’s reserve funds, particularly the recapitalization reserve.
Jenkins said it won’t be much of a drain on the Town’s savings.
“We’re putting money away each year to replenish these reserves and, in fact, each year we’ve been able to put a little bit more away primarily because of growth,” he said.
Council has already approved the Town’s operational budget and the first phase of the capital budget. The third phase of the capital budget will be presented to council on April 28 and the final tax rates for 2008 will be set later in the spring, soon after the provincial education taxes are approved in the provincial budget.
“That finalizes the operating budget for 2008 and then we can start preparing the tax notices to go out,” said Jenkins.
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