County rejects financial assistance over subdivision stormwater pond, but approves giving land for it

Cypress County council rejected a request for financial assistance from Jasper Homes to help with construction costs of a subdivision’s stormwater pond.

WSP Canada Ltd, which designed the Dunmore Stormwater Management Master Plan for Cypress County, submitted an analysis on behalf of Jasper Homes.

According to the analysis, the area just north of Fourth Avenue where the subdivision is being constructed is one of three natural funnelling points for all stormwater in the hamlet, and should have a larger stormwater pond constructed on it.

Jasper Homes felt it unfair that its 13-lot development should have to pay the estimated cost of $317,150 to build such a larger facility, when only six per cent of the runoff contained therein will actually come from its subdivision. The company contended it should only be required to pay six per cent of the cost, or $19,150, with the county picking up the rest. Jasper Homes further requested council donate county-owned land just north of the subdivision for the construction of the stormwater containment facility.

Council disagreed. The Municipal Planning Commission, which had approved the subdivision, informed Jasper Homes that a stormwater management pond would have to be built at that location, and had made them aware of the WSP findings in the Dunmore Stormwater Management Master Plan prior to granting subdivision approval.

“It’s not like this was a surprise,” said Coun. Dan Hamilton, who sits on the MPC. “They knew what it was when they were getting into it. For us to give up the land for the dry pond, I don’t have a problem with that. But putting money in to do anything else, I do have an issue with it.”

Council voted 8-1 to reject any monetary support for Jasper Homes, but agreed to allow the company to use county land north of the subdivision to build the stormwater containment facility at no cost to the developer. The land value there is estimated at $200,000.