Loss of green space if city approves new school location at old rodeo grounds. Have your say until Sept. 16…
SANDRA M STANWAY
Brooks Bulletin
The city is expected to follow through with their agreement with the Catholic school system and hand over the 23-acre old rodeo grounds.
At Tuesday’s council meeting first reading was given to two bylaws: to rezone the land from public recreation and open space to public and quasi-public services and to officially dedicate the property as a school reserve.
If there are no comments or a petition presented prior to the Sept. 16 council meeting or if no one is present to comment on the change at the meeting, the city will designate the entire area.
The southeast sector area plan shows there is institutional land along Second Avenue and across a road allowance. The bylaw will entitle the school to use the entire parcel including the municipal reserve.
The second bylaw is a residential land use update. It notes that the parcel must be free of all encumbrances and must have consent from organizations including the subdivision authority, province and the irrigation district. The land is within the Intermunicipal Development Plan so the county will be able to comment.
As well if it is approved by the city the school board can sell the land to a third party when it no longer needs the site.
The province suggests an emphasis on a joint use planning agreement where there has already been a school established that the current agreement be amended to ensure that the land transfers back to the city at its end as a school site.
Municipalities are responsible to provide land for a school.
The city does have other land that would likely be better suited for a school such as beside the French school but the city doesn’t want to purchase additional land as it would mean a taxpayer debenture.
Usually a school board knows at least a year or two in advance of their future requirements. At that time the municipality would be notified to source land.
In this case, the school board announced in March that Brooks was their top priority.
During an in-camera meeting July 2 the school representatives pressed the city into giving them the land saying that the secured property would make the province more amicable to providing funds. The city made their announcement in mid-July.
The meeting was two weeks after the recreation board agreed with Grasslands Soccer Association that the old rodeo grounds is the ideal location for soccer pitches which would also allow the organization to grow.
The recreation land is adjacent to a golf course and across the road are three light industrial properties while the south end contains a fenced gas well, overhead electrical line and One Tree Creek.
If the bylaws are approved the city not only forever loses an excellent piece of recreational land but it will be tied up until the province decides to give the school board funding for the school which could take years.
