FORT ASSINIBOINE – Woodlands County councillors voted 5-2 at their April 26 meeting to deny a request from the owner of the Woodlands RV Park and River Marina to take over a portion of riverfront land in Fort Assiniboine, which would have allowed him to expand his business by about 20 to 30 sites.
Division 4 Coun. Jeremy Wilhelm and Division 1 Coun. Dave Kusch voted against the motion, arguing that the county had no current plans to do anything with the land, while the business-owner could at least bring more economic activity into the community.
“We’re just holding on to this asset for no reason at all. We could be bringing new money into Fort Assiniboine very quickly by allowing this person to develop it,” said Wilhelm.
However, other councillors noted that a majority of Fort Assiniboine residents were opposed to the expansion while also expressing some personal hesitation about giving up the land, eliminating any possibility of the county developing it for recreational purposes.
“They don’t make new riverfront property anymore. The county has this, and I feel we should keep it for future recreational use for the citizens of the Fort Assiniboine area,” noted Division 5 Coun. Bruce Prestidge.
Background
Council had previously received a request from Alan O’Brien, owner of the RV park near Fort Assiniboine, during their Feb. 15 meeting.
O’Brien had requested he be allowed to take over a portion of DML 150511, which consists of 143.37 acres along the banks of the Athabasca River.
This land had been obtained by the county with the intention of constructing a trail from the hamlet of Fort Assiniboine to the southeastern limit of the DML, which would eventually be converted into a recreational site. However, the county’s financial troubles in recent years had put those plans on hold.
As such, administration had recommended the county give the land to O’Brien minus a 10-metre area along the roadway, which would accommodate any future development once the municipality finally came up with a new recreation plan.
Council deferred making a decision and instead directed administration to hold a public consultation. An open house was then hosted March 28 at the Fort Assiniboine Legion, which was attended by roughly 45 residents.
A report compiling all the comments made by residents was then given to council. Director of infrastructure Andre Bachand said of the 27 comments received, 18 were in opposition, six were in favour, and three were not applicable.
Those in opposition generally voiced concerns about jet boats and adding more pressure to Fort Assiniboine’s water and sewer systems.
Council comments
Division 3 Coun. Alan Deane was the first to oppose the request, saying he was not prepared to transfer control of the land given the open house feedback.
Deane said the county could eventually develop a recreation master plan that identifies a use for the DML property, “but if we give it away, then we cannot plan to anything on that.”
Noting that the resort was a small business that drew other people into the community each summer, Wilhelm said one of the best ways to develop local economies within the region is to help existing businesses expand.
“I understand this land is probably very valuable ... but that also means it’s also excellent for this business to expand with,” he said.
“They can double the number of people that they’re bringing into that region every year, which doubles the amount of money they’re bringing into the region every year.”
Kusch echoed much of what Wilhelm said, adding that while there were many concerns from the community, the county also didn’t have the funds to actually develop that riverfront land.
“I don’t want to hinder business and private enterprise ... that could actually help bring stuff into the community,” he said.
Division 6 Coun. Peter Kulken said the current owner of the RV Resort and River Marina might allow the county access to that land, but that might not be the case with a future owner of the campground.
“We should look at this as an opportunity to develop … alongside of the owner, where we still have something to say about who has access to that property,” he said.
Kuelken said he recognized there was economic potential in allowing the business-owner to develop further, but the resistance from the community made him hesitant about turning over the land.
Reeve John Burrows said that when he came to Woodlands County, they were in a much stronger financial position, but they had been in recovery mode for the past few years.
That said, he alluded to the case of a private campground at Whitecourt that prevents access to a nearby water course for the public and pointed out that it can be hard to find places to hang out next to the water in Alberta.
As such, he said he wanted to keep the land for the county, noting that they eventually may figure out a purpose for it.
Division 7 Coun. Devin Williams, who put forward the motion to deny the request from O’Brien, said he had gotten a lot of calls about this proposal and not many of them were in favour of giving over the land.
