Parkland Foundation is hiring a project manager to lead the way in the replacement of the aging Autumn Glen Lodge for low-income seniors but member communities, including Penhold and Innisfail, are still concerned over the issue of funding.
However, representatives from the foundation's six member communities will have a chance to express these concerns on April 2 when representatives from Alberta Municipal Affairs come to Innisfail.
ìI would love to see 50 per cent of the project be covered by the Alberta government, and if it was more that would be even better,î said Mayor Brian Spiller. ìWe are limited in what we can charge the residents there.î
At council's regular meeting on March 10, Coun. Heather Taylor, who is the local representative to the foundation board, told her colleagues that Parkland board members unanimously approved the hiring of a project manager at its meeting on March 5.
ìIt is a very big step,î Taylor said, adding the move demonstrates the foundation is ìgoing forwardî with the initiative. ìAnd hopefully we can get some government funding.î
The replacement of Autumn Glen Lodge, which was built in 1960 at the province's expense, has been a foundation priority for the past three years. While the foundation has already gone through a consulting and concept phase -- arriving at an estimated cost of $22 million to replace the facility --the province has so far shown no interest in contributing to its cost, said officials from Parkland's member communities.
In the meantime, Parkland's six member municipalities are being left to sort out the financing, either through requisitioning taxpayers' monies, or partnering with the private sector, or a combination of both.
So far, the Alberta government has only agreed to lend the foundation the necessary money through its provincial housing authority at a low interest rate, a proposal that has received tepid responses from Parkland member communities.
ìThat is too small of a contribution because financed over 25 to 30 years we are still going to pay the entire principal ourselves,î said Spiller, adding that scenario could leave local taxpayers on the hook for between $200,000 and $300,000 a year.
ìThe provincial government are making the laws and they tell us that our Autumn Glen Lodge now does not meet code but they do not give us any money to bring it up to code,î he added. ìThey set out the ministerial decree telling us that the six municipalities have to cover the deficit through requisitions but they are giving us no money to do this with.î
Penhold mayor Dennis Cooper said there are several questions that need to be answered when he and his counterparts from the other five member municipalities meet with provincial officials next month.
He said members of Penhold council will have a difficult time explaining to their ratepayers why they will be responsible for the cost of a new seniors' residence, formerly the responsibility of the provincial government, only to see it being built in Innisfail.
ìThe province has made a definite direction shift and they are saying, ëOK municipality, you have to look after it',î said Cooper, noting his community will be responsible for five to six per cent of the total requisitioning from the foundation.
ìFor us small municipalities it is a big financial hardship and we have some council members having a hard time saying, ëWhy are we taking money out of our community and sending it to another community', and how do you explain that to the ratepayer?î
Trisha Anderson, public affairs officer with Alberta Municipal Affairs, said she cannot speculate what ministry officials will say to Parkland member municipality officials on April 2 but she did add the provincial government is looking at putting $40 million into undetermined rural seniors' lodge projects in 2014.
ìWe are doing a full evaluation of lodges across the province so we can determine the projects. We are putting this money towards rejuvenation or replacement projects,î she said, adding in 2012 and 2013 there were six lodges in rural Alberta that received a total of $40 million in funding. ìThe list of projects (for 2014) has not been confirmed yet.
ìThey look at that on a project to project basis,î she added. ìIt depends on what the lodge needs. They determine which ones are priorities.î
Meanwhile, Kerry Towle, the Wildrose Party MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake, said the Alberta government has ìdropped the ballî by not providing resources to allow municipalities to meet the needs of their constituents.
ìIt is not fair to municipalities and to the foundations to say, ëWe are going to off-load to you but we are not going to give you the resources to do it',î said Towle.
She said her party's 10/10 Community Infrastructure Transfer plan would provide more funding to the municipalities to allow them to move on major capital projects without worrying about downloading the cost to taxpayers.
The Wildrose's 10/10 Community Infrastructure Transfer plan proposes to direct 10 per cent of provincial tax revenue and 10 per cent of budget surpluses directly to Alberta's towns, cities and municipal districts -- using a formula created in consultation with municipalities.
