The 20-year lease the Athabasca Lions Club and Athabasca Ag Society have on the Athabasca Agriplex and the surrounding grounds is up, and town council is debating the technicalities of granting another lease.
Specifically, town councillors expressed an interest in subdividing the property, potentially reducing the area available to be leased.
“I would like these groups to know that we have no objection to leasing them the land,” councillor Lionel Cherniwchan said during the regular town council meeting last Tuesday. “The fine tuning of this is if we decided to subdivide the land.”
The town did not specify what they were planning for the land if it was subdivided.
“We are looking at thoughtful negotiations for the Agriplex property,” Mayor Roger Morrill said. “We want to look at future development options before tying up land.”
Should subdivision proceed, Cherniwchan stated he would like to lease both sections, but have restrictions on one half, stating there is to be nothing built on it.
“When you look at the lease, the first issue is that you don’t need all that land,” Cherniwchan said.
After Cherniwchan called into question the amount of land being leased, Lesia Rys-Popowich of the Ag Society listed all the things the property is used for, and what they had planned for it.
She explained that there is a quad and motocross trail, blueberry bushes, a place for running and walking horses.
“Maybe, Lionel, you feel it isn’t utilized, but the front part is blueberries, and blueberries are recreation, and we’re an Ag Society,” she said in defense.
“When all is said and done and we address this later on, I must apologize,” Cherniwchan said. “You have some sand, trees, and some people berry picking.
“We can talk about what we could do there, but what we do there are two different things,” he said. “I’m going to suggest that we divide the property into two, and give you a lease for both sides.”
As much as the service groups would like the whole parcel of land, they know it is up to the town.
“Let’s face it. We’re there because you’ve allowed us to sign a lease on that property,” said David Maguire of the Lions Club. “If you want to cut a chunk of that land off and do something else with it because you have another plan, that is your prerogative.
“We serve at your behest, really,” he went on. “We’d like everything that is there now in a new lease, but if there is another plan down the road, that we have no idea about, I’m sure you will be going ahead with it.”
The two groups were also asking for a 50-year lease because in the previous 20-year lease, they were unable to obtain grants due to the short-term lease agreement.
The Ag Society and Lions Club know at some point part of the Agriplex building will have to be replaced, and they wish to apply for grants.
They are also looking at an off-leash dog park, and a mini-putt golf course.
“In your opinion as town council you feel we don’t require it, but we’re in a position where we only have a 20-year lease when we apply for grants, it is very hard to get grants because of the timeliness of the lease,” Rys-Popowich explained. “With a 50-year lease we will be recognized as a permanent resident.”
Maguire stated the Agriplex is a recreation area.
“There seems to be a need of more recreational facilities, not fewer,” he said. “I have no idea what your ideas are for cutting the land up, but I certainly hope it wouldn’t be of an industrial nature.
“There are other things we can do, and if we are given the opportunity to do them, then we can look at successfully doing them,” he went on to explain. “We’re asking for a 50-year lease on whatever land you would let us have.”
Councillor Paula Evans noted the Multiplex as one recreational facility that isn’t always busy.
“We have a Multliplex that is underutilized that is eating a lot of taxpayers’ dollars,” she said. “That is part of my point of this whole thing. There is only so much recreation that we can do. I know you have unique activities out there.”
She referenced the bench show the Agriplex used to house, and suggested bringing it back to life.
Council postponed a decision on the lease agreement until they can look further into severing the piece of land.
“To me it looks like a complicated issue, and it looks like further study is required,” Morrill said.
