Buckhorn sports pad decision may be delayed
BUCKHORN Trent Lakes Coun. Peter Franzen plans to ask township council at its regular meeting next week to delay any further discussions or resolutions on the proposed Buckhorn sports pad until after the Oct. 24 municipal election.
In a motion on the agenda, Franzen states there was no mention of any expansion of the Buckhorn sports pad by candidates or ratepayers during the 2018 municipal election and the municipality has large infrastructure projects starting soon.
“Therefore, be it resolved that all discussion or further resolutions on the sports pad be deferred until after the 2022 municipal election,” states the proposed motion.
The building of a new sports pad is awaiting action by the township due to uncertainty surrounding the Buckhorn Community Centre’s interest in providing needed land for the new pad.
At its last meeting, council voted on a motion by Coun. Terry Lambshed to ask the Buckhorn Community Centre if it could respond to council with a decision by the end of May whether it would like to partner and move forward with revitalizing the sports pad.
This followed a defeated motion at the same meeting by Mayor Janet Clarkson that council establish a working group to review an alternative site for the sports pad because the township has twice officially asked the Buckhorn Community Centre if it would provide additional lands for an improved facility.
An alternative location now needs to be considered, said Clarkson in her failed motion.
There is land at Lakehurst Road and Laplante’s Road for a facility as well as at other sites and she would have liked to see staff identify excess municipal lands for sale.
A refrigerated ice pad and ancillary services could also be built at a new location, including an emergency evacuation/gathering space, new library, swimming pool and home for Community Care, Clarkson said.
“We need to find out where they’re (BCC) at so that we know where we’re at,” Clarkson said.
“It’s kind of a chicken and egg thing,” Franzen said. “We can’t make a decision until the BCC does … and we haven’t decided on a building.”
If the municipality does not get the needed land, everything else is irrelevant, she said.
“So we’ve got some hurdles here. You can’t begin to say what the building is going to look like unless you know what kind of land you’ve got to put it on,” Clarkson said.
Township council’s next meeting will take place electronically Tuesday at 1 p.m.