Event infrastructure report concerns councillor

The extent of potential enhancements to public spaces to accommodate a wide variety of events outlined in a recent report has one town councillor concerned.

The community events outdoor infrastructure needs report was presented to council at its final meeting of 2011 and Councillor John Borrowman was hesitant to accept the report if it meant all potential enhancements would be on the table.

Borrowman said a number of suggested changes to public places would fundamentally alter those locations beyond what he believes the community would accept.

“I have philosophical questions about some of these suggestions,” he said. “How are we going to balance the direction of creating event venues with preserving what we have in public spaces?

“My concern really is there is so much on the recommendation side for potential site enhancements which I think are terrible ideas.”

Manager of community enhancement Brenda Caston said the report is not meant to be a list of projects that will be done, but an inventory that administration can work with in the future.

She said any major changes to public places will undergo public consultation.

“We need to do good consultation for any amenities we want to add,” said Caston, who added as events are a tourism draw, which municipal services are needed to further economic development in that area should be considered. “When we are considering having more events, or changing how we view events, we should consider investing in our amenities for outdoor spaces.”

Interim Chief Administrative Officer Lisa de Soto said the report only identifies gaps through input from those in the event production industry. She said implementation of anything in the report would have to be balanced and include consultation.

Places like Quarry Lake and Riverside Park have several gaps identified by event producers, however, said de Soto, those may not be shared by the general community.

However, administration has identified five priorities out of the report, including finding a designated site for event parking outside the downtown core and signage to direct traffic to event parking.

“We need a designated parking site outside the downtown core with a shuttle,” Caston said. “There is a parking issue for big events.”

The list also includes increased waste and recycling bins and potable water for food booths at Centennial Park and power and lighting at the Civic Centre plaza.

Canmore hosts 154 events booked at municipal facilities annually, with the majority occurring between May and September. That includes festivals, parades, runs and community celebrations, as well as private events like weddings.

Mayor Ron Casey added the gap analysis should include when lands identified as spaces for events are not actually owned by the municipality, like the Golf and Curling Club, Indian Flats and the highway interchange (Exit 89) known as the moustache.

Coun. Joanna McCallum said more work needs to be done with the gap analysis, but it is a great first step and could prove useful for event producers coming into the community.

“This is an excellent resource for outside community event producers,” she said. “I think before we go further we need to prune it down and put more work into it, but it is a great first step.”