A new, summer long campaign has been launched in the Town of Coaldale, looking to finalize designs for the outdoor space located between the Coaldale Public Library and the new Civic Square building.
Presented during the Regular Council Meeting on May 9, the plan includes designs for a large concrete pad where community events like farmer’s markets, movie nights, and festivals can take place, a rough outline for an outdoor skating rink, and about 44 parking spots with 4 being equipped with electric vehicle charging stations.
Town staff was instructed to reach out to the public on other possible uses for the space, including level of priority for the completion of the outdoor skating rink.
“In Council’s recently launched 2021-2025 Strategic Plan, we single out continued community engagement on new recreation projects as one of our top priorities”, said Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn. “Before plans for this outdoor space are finalized, we will make sure that just this kind of engagement has taken place. As a Council, we strongly believe that residents should have a voice in the decision-making process for amenities like the Civic Square outdoor space.”
An online survey can be found at www.letsconnectcoaldale.ca, and residents have the opportunity to speak directly with members of the council and Town staff at an in person event taking place August 6, during the Coaldale Summer Fest.
“The survey is just one avenue that Town residents can use to have their voices heard on this matter”, said Van Rijn. “Another is by speaking directly with members of Council and the Town’s administrative staff. It’s our belief that the survey results, supplemented by the feedback we receive in person, will give us the information we need to finalize the design and get to work on turning this outdoor space into something all our residents can enjoy and be proud of.”
63 per cent of the Civic Square Outdoor Space’s funding is coming from a federal grant, which specifies that the funds must be used for revitalizing downtown cores and reinventing outdoor spaces, with the total estimated cost sitting at a total of $1.2 million.